The Inkatha Freedom Party must choose whether to serve in an African National Congress-led KwaZulu-Natal provincial government or pull out, said ANC chief whip in the province Mtholephi Mthikhulu on Monday.
”Enough is enough,” Mthikhulu said as tensions between the two parties’ parliamentarians flared over a motion from the ANC’s Cyril Xaba to oust the IFP’s caucus leader, Lionel Mtshali.
Mtshali swore to fight the motion, calling it a ”blatant attempt to silence a political opponent”.
Xaba’s motion — tabled during a recent sitting in Estcourt — accused Mtshali of vitriolic utterances, unbecoming conduct as a leader, not contributing to peace and stability in the province and bringing the provincial parliament into disrepute.
”The language of this motion is libellous and out of order in terms of parliamentary rules. This is unparliamentary behaviour,” Mtshali said in a statement.
He said the IFP will fight the motion in accordance with the rules.
He criticised the motive behind holding the parliamentary sitting in Estcourt at the time.
”The funds which paid for the decoration of this venue and our glamorous accommodation there could have made a difference to a poverty-stricken community nearby.
”If only the ruling party was serious about policy and service delivery,” said Mtshali at the time.
An outraged Mthikhulu said the decision to hold the sitting in Estcourt had been taken by all parties, including the IFP.
”The IFP even proposed that each party be allowed to bring one staff member for secretarial support.
”To our great surprise when we arrived … the IFP leader of caucus [Mtshali] stood up and began attacking the legislature to be in Estcourt and branded it as part of the ANC campaign.
”It was a surprising attack on the ANC and parliament.”
It was then that Xaba moved that Mtshali had brought the name of the provincial legislature into disrepute.
”Hence there was this motion. We are saying Mtshali is not contributing to the advancement of democracy in this provincial legislature and the peaceful relationship between the ANC and IFP, and we have made it very clear the IFP must choose whether to continue serving in the ANC-led provincial government or pull out.”
He said the IFP is playing ”politics of hypocrisy”. — Sapa