IFP seems to be going places

The Inkatha Freedom Party has some stereotypes from the past hanging over it – it is seen as a party for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) only and has been accused by some of having been in bed for a time with the old Nat government.

But politics, especially the South African-flavoured variety, has the ability to surprise and the IFP, under its new president, Velenkosini Hlabisa, is determined to raise eyebrows.

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It has already routed the ANC from some of the ruling party’s strongholds in KZN and is making steady progress in provinces other than its heartland.

Hlabisa says the party wants to have a national presence and influence, but he is pragmatic in his acknowledgment that the IFP may have to work with other, like-minded, parties in coalitions, particularly if the ANC fails to get a 50%-plus majority in next year’s general election.

The IFP has a record in cooperation, working with the Democratic Alliance in KZN to deliver real services to people … people who are disillusioned after decades of ANC mismanagement.

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Whether the IFP will be able to form an alliance with others of differing political agendas remains to be seen. But the more the ANC continues its misrule, the bigger the opportunity for the IFP and others.