The KwaZulu-Natal Leadership and Governance Act, ushered in recently to transform traditional leadership in the province, could see IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi meeting his political Waterloo.
The law, which dissolved the provincial house of traditional leaders chaired by Buthelezi, has already stripped him of his powers and will put his position as provincial chair to a secret vote when the house is reconstituted on September 15.
It also established 11 district houses of traditional leaders, which are to work together with the province’s 11 district municipalities. The aim of the reorganisation is to involve the province’s influential traditional leadership in the decision-making process at a municipal level and fast track service delivery.
To date, each of the 11 district houses has elected a chair to represent it in the provincial house. In the Zululand District Municipality, the heartland of IFP support in the province, Buthelezi was elected chair. However, this is still a political demotion from his previous position as chair of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leadership.
Buthelezi’s re-election is not a foregone conclusion; a slew of contenders will battle for his seat.
“Already, there are people who have positioned themselves to contest his seat. Furthermore, mayors in various district municipalities have been lobbying for the appointment of ANC-aligned amaKhosi into the district houses, with the hope that they will support an inkosi who is an ANC candidate [as chair],” said a source close to the process.
A source in the provincial government said there was “already serious lobbying, even by the ANC-led provincial government, to ensure that uShenge [Buthelezi’s clan name] is ousted”.
Buthelezi wielded enormous influence in the province, both as a result of chairing the house of traditional leaders and his positions as traditional prime minister to the Zulu nation and adviser to King Goodwill Zwelithini.
In addition to weakening Buthelezi, the leadership restructuring process may threaten the traditionally close relationship between the amaKhosi and the IFP, putting yet another nail in the coffin of the party, a source close to the restructuring process said.
Buthelezi traditionally used his position as chairperson of the house of traditional leaders to spread his political influence throughout the province. If he is not re-elected as chair, his day-to-day political reach would be limited to the rural backwaters of the Zululand District Municipality.
ANC sources close to the process told the Mail & Guardian that efforts to oust Buthelezi began earlier in the year, when provincial Traditional Affairs Minister Mike Mabuyakhulu hand-picked 11 amaKhosi to accompany him on a trip to Ghana in West Africa to look at interactions between traditional leaders and government structures.
Buthelezi said he was not prepared to comment on political plots to weaken him, but said that what he found most vexing about the restructuring process was the lack of consultation involved and what he saw as Mabuyakhulu’s disregard for him as the chair of the now defunct provincial house.
He was also concerned about what he saw as the obliteration of the amaKhosi’s powers and the legality of the recent changes.
“We find the Act insulting to amaKhosi and in contradiction with other laws governing municipalities and traditional leadership. The Act, for instance, makes it compulsory for amaKhosi to attend municipal meetings, while the municipal structures make it voluntary to do so,” said Buthelezi.
Meanwhile, Mabuyakhulu has rebuffed accusations that the Act undermined the amaKhosi: “We are not obliterating the institution, as those who seek to derail the strengthening of the institution of traditional leadership seek to dramatise it. Instead, we are legitimising the institution of traditional leaders, so that it can be aligned to the Constitution and the democratic processes of our country.”