Durban — As the National Government of Unity (GNU) is on shaky ground, its strength in KwaZulu-Natal will be tested as its key member, the NFP, is eyeing the Zululand municipality – governed by the IFP.
The appointment of NFP president Ivan Barnes as a councillor in the Zululand District Municipality earlier this week fuelled speculation that he was next in line to be mayor of the municipality.
This follows the abrupt resignation of the IFP’s Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi – who is also Prime Minister of the Zulu Monarch, and the new Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC in KZN – in a cabinet recently announced by IFP Premier Thami Ntuli.
As the wheeling and dealing continues behind the scenes, there are concerns that the IFP would not give away the Zululand District Municipality to the NFP as the local sphere of government does not include the GNU power deals.
It has been reported that the NFP, an IFP splinter party, wants two IFP-governed district municipalities, Zululand and uThukela, in exchange for its support of the party’s Ntuli.
This is as the NFP holds a kingmaker single seat in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature after the May 29 election failed to produce an outright winner.
Barnes played his cards close to his chest when he was contacted by the Daily News newspaper, and would not be drawn on the Zululand District Municipality mayorship position.
“I was deployed as a councillor; it ends there. Mayors are elected by councils and I am not elected,” said Barnes.
After the elections, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said power deals at national level would include the local sphere of government.
As the IFP digs in its heels over its position on coalition deals at local level, questions abound whether the NFP, if it does not get the Zululand municipality, would continue with the coalition bloc or dump it. If the party opted for the latter, the KZN coalition government would summarily collapse.
If it has its way, it will be the second time the NFP is at the helm of the Zululand District Municipality.
The first time was when the NFP snatched the municipality from the IFP in 2011, and the late founder, Zanele KaMagwaza-Msibi, took over as mayor. However, the NFP lost the municipality in 2016 after it failed to take part in the 2016 local government elections.
The IFP’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party has not discussed any local leadership with the NFP.
It will not be the first time the parties who are part of the GNU disagreed in the local government sphere.
On Tuesday, the ANC in the beleaguered eThekwini Municipality was publicly humiliated after the DA and the IFP – its partners in the GNU – ditched it during the election of the mayor of eThekwini. The party called for a postponement, citing the absence of Independent Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC) officials. This laid bare the ructions in the GNU grouping over leadership at the local level.
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