Durban — With the EFF and ANC coalition on the brink of collapse in eThekwini, the IFP said it was still willing to form a coalition with the EFF again in KwaZulu-Natal.
Both parties formed a coalition in close to 20 hung municipalities in the province after 2021 local government elections but the EFF withdrew earlier this year and worked with the ANC.
Reacting to the threat by both the ANC and EFF of ending their marriage following the terrible fist-fighting during the council meeting in eThekwini on Tuesday, IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli said the EFF was still welcomed to come back and work with the IFP if they were no longer happy with the EFF.
“Yes, we are still willing to work with them to remove the ANC in power since it is failing to deliver services to our people,” said Ntuli.
On Sunday, the IFP will hold the late Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi memorial services in Prince Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, which Ntuli said would be attended by various political formations, the business sector, churches, amabutho, as well members of the legislature and Parliament.
The ANC/EFF relationship soured further on Thursday when the ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo launched a scathing attack on the EFF and its leaders, daring the party to pull out from the coalition if it thought the ANC would tolerate their “thuggish behaviour”.
Mtolo was reacting to the EFF’s behaviour during an eThekwini council meeting on Tuesday where the EFF fought with security officials who were called in to evict them. The EFF had demanded that the City Manager recuse himself from the meeting and called for his resignation.
The party also called for mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s head, saying both should resign. The bone of contention was a Daily News article which reported on Monday that the City had forfeited R1.2 billion infrastructure grant after the City failed to spend it.
In a briefing on Thursday, Mtolo did not hide his anger about EFF’s behaviour and challenged them to end their relationship. He said the ANC would not remove Kaunda and dared the EFF to do what it wanted. He said the ANC was aware that the EFF never liked Kaunda and did not vote for him in 2021 when Kaunda was elected mayor, so they were not expecting it to change now.
On the City Manager, Mtolo said it was the EFF that supported Mbhele’s appointment, so before the ANC could listen to its demands it must say why it had supported him in the first place.
Mtolo also said the EFF was wrong to blame the ANC for the collapse of infrastructure since this was under its councillor, Themba Mvubu, whom he said should account for challenges in that unit.
“These people are in charge but behave as helpless opposition ... EFF controls R43bn, which is the biggest budget, so they are in charge of the city. Therefore they must account for problems. The ANC would not be held to ransom by the EFF because of the coalition agreement ... if it must end, let it be,” said Mtolo.
Hitting back, EFF provincial chairperson Mongezi Thwala said the EFF would not back down and would demand service delivery for the people of eThekwini. He said the party would not act against the councillors because they were demanding service delivery.
“How can we keep quiet when the City Manager fails to sign for 700 projects and the money has been taken back? How can we fold our arms when service delivery is not going to the people? EFF is for service delivery, whether we are in a coalition or in the opposition, so anyone who is against service delivery to our people will have a problem with us,” said Thwala.
He defended its councillor Mvubu, saying his job as the chairperson of the committee was to play an oversight role – not implementation. He said pulling away from coalition and going back to the IFP would not be his decision but would a be collective one.
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