The refusal of African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) member of the provincial legislature Jo-Ann Downs to support a no-confidence motion in Inkatha Freedom Party Premier Lionel Mtshali has forced the two main political parties in KwaZulu-Natal to the negotiating table.
Downs is the ACDP’s sole MPL in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature. Her critical vote could swing the balance of power in the province either way in an evenly poised KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
After days of stand-offs, the IFP and the African National Congress were sending signals on Wednesday that they were willing to talk to each other. ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe said the ANC’s deputy president, Jacob Zuma, is to meet the IFP’s Celani Mtetwa on Monday.
However, the IFP’s national spokesperson, Musa Zondi, said the three-a-side meeting had been agreed on as early as last week and had no bearing on the current situation in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
The three-a-side is a national team identified some years ago by both parties as a platform for dialogue. The ANC is represented by Zuma, Motlanthe and party treasurer Mendi Msimang, and the IFP by national chairperson Mtshali, Mtetwa and Musa Zondi.
Zondi said the meeting was essentially a preparatory session to arrange for the meeting between the leaders of the ANC and the IFP — Thabo Mbeki and Mangosuthu Buthelezi respectively. But Zondi did admit that the situation in KwaZulu-Natal was bound to be raised.
Politicians in KwaZulu-Natal are hopeful that the talks should seek finally to resolve the conflict between the IFP and the ANC. The ANC needed Downs’s crucial vote, which would have got it 41 votes against the IFP and its allies’ 39 to get a no-confidence motion passed against Mtshali.
The absence of Downs’s vote has essentially punctured the implied threat contained in the Minority Front (MF) motion backed by the ANC. The motion, debated on Thursday, called for the reinstatement of the three fired MECs — Gabriel Ndabandaba (education), Mike Mabuyakhulu (economic development and tourism) and Dumisani Makhaye (housing) — within 48 hours.
Downs told the Mail & Guardian that while she supported the MF motion, which she described as a ”fair demand”, she would not support the no-confidence motion.
She said: ”Our party’s motive was to make the two parties talk to each other and we knew we had the one crucial vote to do so — so we chose to do what we did for the sake of maintaining peace in the province and to take a stand on fairness.”
Downs has carved a niche for herself as an advocate for women’s and children’s rights.
Sceptics in the legislature question her motives, claiming that she is probably ensuring a position for herself next year. However, Downs’s stand has been endorsed by the ACDP’s leader, Kenneth Meshoe.
Speculation in the province continues over how an amicable settlement might be reached between the two parties. It is being proposed that the position of speaker of the legislature, currently with the IFP, could be given to the ANC, with maybe the Democratic Alliance MEC for Housing, Wilson Ngcobo, dropped to accommodate the ANC.
In their addresses to the House on Wednesday both Mtshali and ANC provincial leader S’bu Ndebele seemed to be signalling that they were willing to talk to each other.
Despite defending his right to hold office, when the strength of his party has been reduced to 33 compared with the ANC’s 34, Mtshali said: ”This House is the place where we need to negotiate such conflicts and develop a KwaZulu-Natal form of cohabitation.”
In his concluding remarks, Mtshali said that he was ”willing to deal with the present situation and engage in processes and procedures in which dialogue may be enhanced between my government and this House, so that together we can rise above politics.”
IFP insiders said the remarks were meant to send the signal that the party was willing to talk. Ndebele also indicated in his address that the leaders of the two parties should talk to each other.
The MF-sponsored motion was also modified to call for a meeting between the leadership of the two parties to discuss the reinstatements of the three MECs, and did not insist on their appointment within 48 hours. ANC insiders said opinion was divided within the party on the initial 48-hour ultimatum issued to the IFP.
”Some of the members were not in favour of pushing the IFP into a corner,” said one insider.
Zuma, who is in favour of maintaining amiable relations with the IFP, will be instrumental in working out a deal. The reinstatement of the two former ANC MECs is on the agenda of the proposed meeting between Mbeki and Buthelezi and Zondi said there were other issues on the agenda that he refused to disclose.
It is felt that these issues could be used as bargaining chips to settle discord. Zondi, however, maintained that the IFP would never dismiss the DA appointees to the provincial cabinet to reinstate the ANC members. He said: ”We are quite prepared to accept an ANC takeover.”