The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Sunday pulled off a major show of strength in Durban, packing the citys Moses Mabhida stadium for its manifesto launch for the 29 May national and provincial elections.
The party had filled the stadium, used by the Economic Freedom Fighters and the ANC for their manifesto launches, by midday, with supporters moving onto the field from the stands to avoid the sun as the afternoon went on.
Its president, Velenkosni Hlabisa , called on South Africans to vote for change in the coming poll and to give it control of KwaZulu-Natal which it lost to the ANC in 2004 once more.
Hlabisa said South Africa stands on the brink of collapse, not because of any lack of our people, but because South Africa has been subjected to poor governance, weak leadership and corruption.
In 2024 across the length and breadth of South Africa there is one resounding call, Hlabisa said. The call for change.
Hlabisa said the IFP was a government in waiting and, iff given the chance, would once again govern in the interests of the people of South Africa.
The IFP is no stranger to government. We seek to serve because we know, from experience, that we can better administer governance, Hlabisa said.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal, under an IFP-led government, saw development and prosperity. With our proven track record of service delivery and integrity, we ask you to trust us again in 2024, he said.
While Hlabisa was elected as IFP president in 2019, its founding president, the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi, will be the face of the partys campaign, themed #doitforShenge, going into the elections.
Buthelezis image will also be on the ballot paper, as the party hopes to capitalise on the wave of goodwill across communities generated by his death last year and by his legacy - and to prevent any friction among the partys current leaders and their supporters going into the crucial election.
His son, Prince Zuzifa Buthelezi, addressed the rally ahead of Hlabisa, expressing his familys support for the party his father founded in 1975 and led for more than four decades.
The IFP hopes to take back the province and to play a role in a national coalition government under the banner of the Multi Party Charter for South Africa and on Sunday unveiled a 13 point programme of actions it would implement if it and its allies manage to dislodge the ANC.
These included ending loadshedding through a mixed, diversified energy system and ending illegal migration while reserving jobs and access to small business for South Africans.
The party undertook to improve healthcare at local and provincial level and to boost the welfare system while improving food support for indigent households.
The party would ensure that data costs were cut by half to address anti-poor pricing, while it would put poor urban and rural communities first by working with and supporting traditional leaders.
The party promises to roll out free basic education and commits to reforming National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), introducing a graduate support grant of R3 000, for a fixed period and redirecting funding from the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to pay for 12 month internships with government departments and municipalities.
On job creation, Hlabisa said an IFP government would impose 80/20 employment targets across industries to ensure locals got jobs, while entry level and low skill sectors should be reserved for South Africans.
Likewise, only South Africans would be allowed access to the small enterprise and spaza shop market; while small and medium sized businesses should be exempt from red tape and other barriers to entry.
The IFP would support expansion of the industrial cannabis and hemp industries as a catalyst for local economic development and job creation in rural areas; along with funding for local level businesses.
The party would also enforce Competition Commission findings on South Africas high date prices and ensure that they were cut by 50% and would introduce a R3 000, fixed term unemployed graduate grant to assist graduates in finding meaningful employment.
On crime, the IFP would improve police funding, training and numbers, while creating a culture of accountability, professionalism and ethical conduct, strengthening public trust and confidence in law enforcement
The party in government would enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards police corruption, and fast track the prosecution of offending members, irrespective of their seniority or rank.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would be upskilled and better funded at the international norm of 2% national budget and would be deployed both on border control and internal crime combating duties.
The IFP would also construct border walls to improve secu
