The African National Congress (ANC) on Monday rejected KwaZulu-Natal premier Lionel Mtshali’s offer of a provincial cabinet reshuffle saying it was a gross insult to the party.
”It is a gross insult to the African National Congress for the Inkatha Freedom Party to pick and choose who can participate in the Kwazulu-Natal Provincial Executive from the ANC,” provincial ANC spokesperson Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said.
The ANC was responding to Mtshali’s announcement on Monday on a reshuffle of his cabinet, making the portfolio of public works and that of agriculture and environment available to the ANC.
”The IFP and Premier Mtshali have insulted the legislature whose instruction was very clear. Today’s cabinet reshuffle of the cabinet rubs salt on the open wound,” he said.
Mtshali agreed to give back two seats in his provincial cabinet to the African National Congress in a bid to end the latest row between his Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the ANC.
Last year, Mtshali sacked the ANC’s Dumisani Makhaye and Mike Mabuyakhulu, who held the housing and economic affairs portfolios respectively. The ANC demanded that Mtshali reinstate the pair along with former education MEC Gabriel Ndabandaba who defected from the IFP to the ANC last month.
Mthimkhulu said the IFP and the ANC should sit down and discuss the composition of the KwaZulu-Natal political executive to achieve a balance between the ANC and the IFP in the cabinet.
”In this matter, the ANC reserves its right to adopt a strategy that will be reflective of the fact that the ANC is now the biggest party in the legislature.” He said the fact that Mtshali and the IFP tried and responded to the resolution of the province’s legislature was an admission that the IFP was not a majority party in KwaZulu-Natal.
”It is noted that the IFP and Lionel Mtshali have violated the June 1999 resolution of the legislature that called for achieving a balance between the ANC and the IFP in the executive,” he said.
Meanwhile IFP spokesperson Musa Zondi said the party solidly supported the principled actions of Mtshali in generously inviting the ANC to submit representatives for the two portfolios.
”The premier has acted in the spirit of the Party’s National Coordinating Committee’s Resolution adopted at the weekend to take whatever action necessary and advisable to ensure the will of the people is respected and multi-party democracy is promoted not only in KwaZulu-Natal, but in the whole of South Africa.
”It is important to underline that the offer made to the ANC is to underpin stability and strengthen good governance in the province, and is not a response to the immoral floor-crossing legislation which seeks to subvert democracy,” Zondi said.
He said the cabinet reshuffle by the premier provided a basis for solving problems in a fashion that was appropriate to democratic discourse and that does not resort to confrontation and discord.
”The IFP hopes that the ANC accepts this offer in the generous spirit it is given”.
New National Party (NNP) spokesperson Renier Schoeman said Mtshali’s actions were arrogant and prescriptive as always.
”His actions show total disregard for the real need to negotiate an acceptable agreement with the main coalition partner in KwaZulu-Natal, which is the ANC.
”Clearly the power-hungry DA’s arrogant confrontational style of politics is further contributing to the way in which Mtshali sees fit to deal with the problem,” he said.
Schoeman called for Mtshali’s resignation saying ”he simply does not have the inclination or the ability to deal with the challenges and the need for stability in our province”.
Provincial Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Roger Burrows welcomed Mtshali’s announcement.
”The Democratic Alliance believes that the premier has produced a masterstroke of political positioning, allowing the ANC to accept, with good grace, the offer of an equal number of positions within the cabinet as the IFP, which has been the ANC’s stated aim since 1999,” Burrows said in a statement.
The DA believed that in the interests of continuing good governance in the province it would be in the best interest of all parties if the ANC accepted Mtshali’s offer.
He said his party was pleased that the DA would continue to fill two posts in the cabinet.
In November last year, Burrows took over from Mabuyakhulu and Wilson Ngcobo of the DA replaced Makhaye. This followed a provincial co-operation deal between the DA and IFP.
The ANC’s S’bu Ndebele and Zweli Mkhize are still members of Mtshali’s executive, holding the transport and health portfolios respectively.
Following the recent floor crossings, the ANC and a number of parties that have tended to side with it, have 40 seats in the 80-member house, against the 38 seats held by the IFP-DA partnership.
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) each have a seat. – Sapa