DURBAN - INKATHA Freedom Party president Velenkosini Hlabisa has appealed to former Ukhozi FM personality Ngizwe Mchunu to desist from “inciting violence”.
The IFP has weighed in on Mchunu’s continuous utterances on social media, which many people regard as fuelling violence.
Hlabisa told the Daily News on Sunday that the party was concerned about Mchunu’s behaviour before and after former president Jacob Zuma’s arrest because his messages on public platforms raised concerns.
He said Mchunu’s famous signing off line – “ay’khale” – could be interpreted as inciting people to attack others.
“We are very much concerned about his utterances, especially his slogan ‘ay’khale’. This would be taken by people on the ground as an order to start attacking people so we call on him to stop that,” said Hlabisa.
Furthermore, he said his party was concerned about the volatile situation between Africans and Indians in Phoenix and said it was for this reason that provincial leaders visited KwaMashu hostel to warn them not to be influenced by circulating voice notes and online posts to attack people.
Hlabisa said what concerned them most about Mchunu’s utterances was that he had a huge following among hostel dwellers who were also IFP supporters.
On the day of Zuma’s arrest, Mchunu addressed the media outside his homestead in Nkandla, where he vowed to die rather than allow police to arrest the former president.
Last week he went to Johannesburg and addressed hostel dwellers.
In the videos, he posted thereafter Mchunu referred to himself as president and said he was addressing the nation and blamed president Cyril Ramaphosa for Zuma’s arrest.
Following this, without calling him by his name, Police Minister Bheki Cele said Mchunu was one of the 12 people police would arrest soon.
Cele spoke of “well-known person who went to the hostels and addressed people as president”.
He said that person must be arrested for inciting violence and insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mchunu is expected to hand himself over to the police on Monday.
He had told our sister newspaper, Isolezwe, on Friday that he would go to the police and hand himself over.
When contacted on Sunday, he declined to comment.
Daily News