The collapse in the IFP’s collaborative arrangement with the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, came as no surprise to some. And as the IFP swing towards the DA, EFF and other smaller parties in the province grows, there is concern that an ANC loss in the eThekwini municipality is imminent.
The ANC’s poor showing in the metro and in the province is largely attributed to factionalism in the party, with supporters of former president Jacob Zuma butting heads with those of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa. The loss of the metro on Wednesday could make the divisions flare up further as both sides blame each other.
Things went south during the Durban metro inauguration on Monday after chaos erupted. The sitting had to be abruptly abandoned after only Thabani Nyawose, from the ANC, had been elected speaker. Proceedings to elect the mayor and the executive were postponed to Wednesday.
While the ANC won the first round of the voting, by sunset the process to elect the mayor had started to wobble amid power outages, caucuses, stop-start procedural interjections, a long lunch break and a long list of points of order.
Matters came to a head when there was a power outage in the big white tent where the proceedings took place outside the Moses Mabhida Stadium and a mob of unruly ANC and EFF supporters forced their way in. Those wearing ANC regalia got in and overturned tables and chairs. The session was then abandoned.
Elections analyst Wayne Sussman said the eThekwini metro was already in a fragile and delicate state given what happened during the July insurrection by those reacting to the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma.
“Zuma also gifted the ANC a legacy number of record votes. We are now seeing an unravelling of it. The deep divisions within the ANC have seen some ANC voters vote EFF or IFP and large numbers staying away. The region has a history of political violence and parties should remember this.
“The coalitions we are seeing point to a different political system, an executive system that has less incentive. These so-called coalitions are formed to beat up the ANC rather than [around] common goals and ideology. Durban could have a DA mayor and it could be a historic day but one that could be short-lived.”
Political analyst Protas Madlala said the announcement by IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa to support the ANC appeared to be genuine but also to have been made “under duress”.
“The whole thing was a bit puzzling to start off with. It felt fluid. It left big question marks given the IFP had made it very clear from the start that it will not work with the ANC. Then overnight there was this change of heart to support each other.”
Perhaps in hindsight this can be viewed as a difference due to the dynamic of national versus regional politics. “At national level the IFP plays well with the ANC but on the ground in KwaZulu-Natal there is a trust deficit.”
“We know now that given the outcomes of the votes for IFP mayors in other district municipalities on Monday the IFP went with the DA and other parties. The announcement to support the ANC appeared to be an imposition from the top.”
Hlabisa said the IFP-ANC agreement meant that the parties would not contest each other in municipalities where one holds the majority of seats.
Yet in KwaNongoma, where the IFP had the majority, it teamed up with the EFF to secure the mayoral seat. In Newcastle, where the ANC had a majority of 22 seats and the IFP 18, the IFP voted with the DA and others to take the mayorship, while the EFF appointed the deputy mayor.
The same happened in uMvoti Municipality where the IFP joined forces with the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) to keep the ANC out of power. Then on Tuesday the IFP secured the mayorship of uMhlathuze Municipality in Richards Bay and the EFF deputy mayorship after an IFP, DA and EFF coalition.
ANC provincial spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the ANC is unable to indicate why the IFP changed its mind and the IFP needs to answer that question. “They did this throughout the province. Any party is entitled to vote however they want to. As for eThekwini metro, we cannot predict the outcome and we will see what happens.”
The IFP was not available for comment.
eThekwini Municipality said the proceedings will now take place at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Wednesday afternoon and that newly elected speaker Nyawose will preside. On the agenda are the nomination, election, and swearing-in of the mayor, deputy mayor and the chief whip of council.
The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) will oversee the election proceedings. Security will be tight to prevent a repeat of what happened at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Monday, the municipality said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.