Durban – The IFP says it is not shaken by the ANC’s decision to rope in former president Jacob Zuma to help it with campaigning ahead of the crucial by-elections in Dannhauser on Wednesday next week.
The IFP’s chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Thami Ntuli, told IOL on Friday that Zuma has no significant connection with the contested ward because even during his nine-year tenure as the president of the country, he did nothing for it.
Ntuli’s comment came after the ANC started circulating a poster on Friday where it announced that Zuma would address its Siyanqoba rally on Sunday, the final one before the big day of voting.
NEWS: The IFP says it is not shaken by the ANC’s decision to rope in former President Jacob Zuma to help it with campaigning ahead of the crucial by-elections in Dannhauser next week Wednesday. However, the party admitted that the by-elections would be difficult. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) March 17, 2023
The IFP would also stage their final rally on the same day and it would be addressed by their president, Velenkosini Hlabisa.
The largely mining and agricultural community under the Amajuba District Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal has 25 seats and it was left hung after the November 2021 local government elections.
UPDATE: The Dannhauser local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal will be a key battleground this Sunday as the ANC forges ahead with its last ditch efforts to dethrone the IFP. @IOL pic.twitter.com/zvvflt2dju
The ANC has nine seats; the IFP eight seats; the EFF, a voting (not coalition) partner of the ANC, has three; while the DA, Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), Team Sugar SA (IFP coalition partner) and the Community Freedom Party (CFP) each have one seat.
The vacant position came about when the independent councillor of ward 12 resigned late last year.
Between 2016 and 2021 the ward was an ANC stronghold, but crippling factional fights produced the independent councillor who wrestled it from the governing party in November 2021.
The IFP, with the help of the other smaller parties, excluding the EFF, after their recent fallout, is governing the municipality and the ward is expected to tilt the scales.
NEWS: The ANC is pulling all stops to win the Dannhauser local municipality by-elections in KZN on Wednesday. It has since roped in former Pres Zuma to address its Siyanqoba rally on Sunday. Should it win, it would need to court one smaller party, EFF & topple the IFP. @IOL pic.twitter.com/UIX3HtRGNh
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) March 17, 2023
Despite the Zuma factor, Ntuli said they are not fazed and they would also stage their own final rally on the same day as the ANC.
“As the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal we are part of the by-election in Dannhauser and we have been talking to the people of ward 12 in Dannhauser.
“We are hopeful that they will be supporting our candidate Ms (Cindy) Maphisa during the by-elections.
“The visit of the former president of the republic, Mr Jacob Zuma, I don’t see it as an issue since he did nothing while he was the president of the country for the people of that ward.
“And I don’t think that his mere presence in one venue will be changing the minds of the people in different households,” Ntuli said.
He admitted that it is going to be a difficult by-election since they haven’t won that ward in a long time.
“We know that the ward has not been led by the IFP for some time. The other councillor was from the ANC and then there was an independent and we believe that the people of ward 12 in Dannhauser ought to give the IFP an opportunity to fix the problems which were actually caused by the ANC while it was leading in that particular ward.”
Current Affairs