Embattled KwaZulu-Natal Premier Lionel Mtshali has refused to cave in to demands by the African National Congress (ANC) to incorporate three of its members into his provincial cabinet after the power balance in the provincial legislature shifted in its favour.
This emerged this afternoon after the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Premier — whose party has the most seats in the government with just two for the ANC and two from the Democratic Alliance (DA) — told his legislature that government would operate in future in terms of a philosophy of ”cohabitation”.
Mtshali told the provincial legislature that to be governed properly, KwaZulu-Natal required a government of ”like-minded people who share a vision”.
”It must be a government of the willing, not a coalition of the unwilling forced by circumstances. A forced coalition of the unwilling, like a marriage by the barrel of the political gun, will raise tensions at the cabinet level, paralysing good governance.”
Mtshali was reacting to an ANC demand that he reinstate its MECs Dumisani Makhaye and Michael Mabuyakhulu, who he fired last year.
The ANC also wants him to reappoint former education MEC Gabriel Ndabandaba, who lost his post when he defected from Mtshali’s Inkatha Freedom Party to the ANC last month.
ANC provincial representative Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said on Monday that if the premier did not accede to the demand within 48 hours, ”we will take a step that will present itself then”.
He appeared not to rule out the possibility of a vote of no confidence that could topple Mtshali’s government.
The ANC would seem to hold the stronger hand in the provincial legislature, following a rash of defections from the IFP and the Democratic Alliance during the recent floor-crossing window.
The ANC and its allies have 40 seats in the 80-member house, against the 38 seats held by the newly-formed IFP-DA partnership.
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the African Christian Democratic Party, with a seat each, are positioned as the king makers.
However, the ACDP indicated in a statement on Monday night that it would abstain from a vote of no-confidence.
Mtshali told the legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday that the present situation was the product of an ”extraordinary occurrence, namely the crossing of the floor, which has changed the pre-existing dynamics of democracy”.
”It is not the product of an election. It has created challenges and questions which can only be addressed and finally resolved by the electorate, who is our final master.
”Fortunately, elections are not far away and may be held in just 12 months. In the interim, our greatest concern is that of ensuring that our province has a stable and efficient government.”
He said the dynamics of democracy were premised on an asymmetry where the composition of an executive did not mirror the distribution of political forces in a legislature.
Whether this was right or wrong depends entirely on a Constitution.
”In terms of our Constitution, it is perfectly right that the distribution of power in this house is not immediately and precisely reflected in the composition of my government.
”Whenever the legislature is controlled by one set of political forces and the executive by another, the need arises for what French jurisprudence has termed ‘co-habitation’.
”There is need for co-habitation which is, in effect, a form of power sharing. Our democracy in KwaZulu-Natal has entered a new stage in which we will need to walk the challenging but exciting path of co-habitation.”
IFP national representative Musa Zondi said earlier this week that the ANC approach was ”unnecessarily confrontational” because the issue was due to be discussed between the national leaders of the ANC and IFP, President Thabo Mbeki and Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Zondi said the IFP would not be ”blackmailed by having a gun put to its head by the provincial ANC”.
Makhaye, who held the housing portfolio, and Mabuyakhulu, who held economic development, were two of four ANC members of the IFP-led provincial government until last year when Mtshali replaced them with members of the DA.
The ANC’s S’bu Ndebele and Zweli Mkhize are still members of Mtshali’s executive, holding the transport and health portfolios respectively. – Sapa, I-Net Bridge