Johannesburg — Party rejects leader's offer to resign

INKATHA Freedom Party (IFP) leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi's offer to resign as president of the party he has led for 30 years was rejected "unanimously" by the party's national council last week at a meeting to review the IFP's appalling election performance.

A source within the IFP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Buthelezi had raised the issue and had said he was prepared to call a special national council meeting to discuss his leadership.

Buthelezi had earlier indicated that he would accept responsibility for the party's performance in this year's elections, in which the IFP's popularity across the country dropped to just under 7% and it lost out to the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal .

But the whole national council rejected Buthelezi's offer. The council indicated it would not raise the leadership issue but, if Buthelezi wanted to, he could raise the matter at the IFP's scheduled annual conference in July. Council members were unanimous that they would not push for Buthelezi's resignation.

"He felt that as a leader with integrity, he should be the first person whose position should be looked at. He was not emotional and said it in a matter-of-fact way," said the source, denying Sunday newspaper reports that Buthelezi had cried and was emotional when offering to resign.

Although Buthelezi was expected, as party leader, to be blamed for its dismal showing in the elections it won only 28 seats nationally (6,95%) and 30 seats provincially (36,8%), allowing the ANC to head the provincial government in KwaZulu- Natal for the first time party officials said it was unlikely that the IFP would allow Buthelezi to "fade away".

The party is also having to face disgruntled youth and local authority members who did not make the party's parliamentary and provincial candidates lists.

Rumblings among the youth calling for younger leadership have been met with the party hierarchy saying they first had to show what they could deliver before being added to the lists in place of more experienced and skilled party loyalists.

Mayors and local government councillors were also upset because they saw provincial government and parliamentary positions as being more important, while the IFP leadership felt it was needed at a grassroots level, especially in view of the looming local government elections.

President Thabo Mbeki said last week he would replace IFP spokesman Musa Zondi and MP Veli Ngema, who have declined to assume their deputy minister positions until a comprehensive co-operation agreement between the IFP and the ruling party has been reached.

Meanwhile, the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal is still consulting its national leadership about provincial premier S'bu Ndebele's offer of three cabinet posts. Last week the IFP withdrew two MECs, the Rev Celani Mtetwa and Nkosi Ngubane, who were offered the public works department and social welfare portfolios.

ANC provincial secretary Sipho Gcabashe said yesterday that his party was awaiting feedback from the IFP. An agreement was expected to be reached by the end of this week, he said.

The IFP tried unsuccessfully last week to push for the party to be given the local government, housing and traditional affairs portfolio held by ANC firebrand Dumisane Makhaye in exchange for any of the three portfolios allocated to it.

Buthelezi also hit the headlines this weekend after confirming that the death of his son, Nelisuzulu Buthelezi, was AIDSrelated. According to a Sunday newspaper, Buthelezi told mourners at his son's funeral that he sympathised with families of HIV/AIDS victims, since his son had died as a result of the disease.