Durban — The IFP said it would not rush into forming governments of local unity (GLUs) with the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal.
Responding to proposals of the GLUs tabled by the ANC two weeks ago, IFP deputy president, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, said his party was considering the ANC’s proposals, but it had no intention of tampering with the municipalities which were working well with other coalition partners.
He said it should be remembered that the GLUs were already in place in hung municipalities in the country and the ANC’s proposal was not new.
Changes could only be made after the assessment of individual municipalities where the coalition was failing to deliver services to the people, he said.
“We will make assessments and see whether making political changes through a new coalition agreement will bring the desired results. It’s all about service delivery.
“The approach would not be the same as the government of national and provincial unity, because there are parties outside the GNU and the GPU that work with us in the hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. So, we cannot dump them just because we want to form a new coalition with the ANC,” said Buthelezi.
Two weeks ago, the ANC announced its readiness to get into coalitions with all parties in the hung municipalities in the province.
The party said having successfully ensured a smooth transition from the 6th Administration to the 7th Administration as well as successfully establishing a Government of National Unity and a Government of Provincial Unity, working with parties with whom some broader common values were shared to advance the interests of the people of the province, it felt it was time to introduce the GLU in the province.
“The successes of the Government of Provincial Unity compels us to move with speed to establish the Government of Local Unity. We have agreed that at local level we will work with parties with whom some broader common values are shared to accelerate service delivery.
“It should be remembered that on May 26, 2011, the ANC entered into a memorandum of understanding with the National Freedom Party.
“We have agreed that our relationship should not be based on political whims but it should be a relationship founded on the understanding that the communities under the municipalities to be co-governed need service delivery. The ANC is therefore prepared to enter into a co-operative relationship to constitute a governing partnership to administer the identified municipal councils wherein the two parties have demonstrated voter support,” read the ANC’s proposal.
In adherence to the pro rata distribution of seats by the IEC, the ANC proposed that the party with a larger number of seats would be offered the opportunity to lead the municipality. Also, to appoint a mayor and Speaker that the two partners would vote to support, except where both parties agreed on a variation.
Although the ANC did not mention the IFP by name, it was clear that the proposal was directed at the party since it was the IFP and the ANC that obtained majority seats in the hung municipalities.
The ANC was already co-governing Nongoma and Edumbe municipalities with the National Freedom Party.
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