Confidential Democratic Alliance documents leaked to the Mail & Guardian show the DA plans to prise the Inkatha Freedom Party loose from the African National Congress, and form an electoral alliance with Inkatha before the 2004 poll.
Other leaked documents suggest the DA is keen to move towards a coalition arrangement with the IFP in all three tiers of government after 2004.
A document outlining the relationship between the two parties says: “What is vital … is to have the Inkatha Freedom Party broadly agree to a relationship which would end in a possible national coalition government and a likely coalition government in one or more provinces. The IFP, would, obviously, have to see that this would be to their benefit.”
It points out that while the DA and the IFP co-govern eight local councils, the basis of the agreement “was purely about office” and that the parties have to chart out a shared local government policy.
Roger Burrows, the DA leader in KwaZulu-Natal, has held a series of meetings with IFP national chair and KwaZulu-Natal Premier Lionel Mtshali. There have also been public overtures by DA and IFP leaders to one another.
According to the minutes of a DA management committee meeting in May this year, there was broad agreement in the party that “it was desirable to break the IFP-ANC cooperation at provincial and national level”.
According to DA national chairperson James Selfe, who spoke at the meeting, it was also agreed the DA and IFP should not merge.
The minutes suggest that the DA is conscious of political exposure as a “rich white” party, and that an alliance with Inkatha might address this problem. “An Africanist, poor people agenda could leave the DA alone and exposed,” Selfe is recorded as saying.
The IFP shares government with the ANC both nationally and in KwaZulu-Natal. However, distance between them has grown enormously in recent months.
Minutes of another meeting in February this year indicate that the DA was pondering whether friendly overtures by IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi were genuine. “What strategy is Buthelezi following?” the minutes ask. “Is he merely demonstrating his autonomy from the ANC or really holding out a hand to the DA? Would the ANC really ‘allow’ the IFP to link up with the DA?”
The minutes suggest that if the IFP linked up with the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, “surely Buthelezi would be ousted from cabinet”.
The leaked documents indicate the DA has drafted agreements with Inkatha for three different scenarios — “both [IFP and DA] in opposition”, “both in government” and “one in government, other in opposition”. This was confirmed by Scott and Selfe.
The “one in government, other in opposition” scenario agreement is the only one to mention the parties’ right to retain independence of political action.
The agreements underline the need for the IFP and the DA not to “descend to personal attacks on members of the other party and shall give prior notice, unless in an emergency, to the other party when contestation of particular policies stands or executive decisions of the other party are concerned”.
This gives an insight into why the DA was initially reluctant to vote against Ulundi as KwaZulu-Natal’s legislature seat when the ANC first tabled a motion on the issue.
Selfe said he was not aware of any agreement with Inkatha, other than one providing that the parties would not accept each other’s members when floor-crossing legislation takes effect.
The minutes of the February meeting indicate that elements in the KwaZulu-Natal DA are unhappy with the IFP.
Members raised questions about the possible existence of “slush funds” in the agriculture and welfare ministries, both headed by IFP members. They also asked whether the IFP aimed to stymie local government if “they can’t get their way regarding traditional leadership”.
The details of the May meeting, at which the severing of the relationship between Ikatha and the ANC was discussed, were confirmed by former DA chief whip Belinda Scott.
Selfe said the DA “would do anything to reduce the hegemony of the ANC” He said Scott had attended the meeting without articulating any objection.