KZN on collison course

2003-04-08 00:02

Christi Naude

Durban - "The coalition, which minority parties suspected to become a collusion, has in fact become a collision," was KZN NNP leader Tino Volker's laconic response, after ANC provincial leader S'bu Ndebele gave a 24 hour ultimatum to the Inkatha Freedom Party to reinstate three ANC ministers, who have been sacked by Premier Lionel Mtshali.

Humour, frustration, anger and a lot of points of order flew in the legislature on Monday in a budget debate where the budget clearly took the back seat.

Ndebele's ultimatum followed Minority Front leader Amichan Rajbansi's motion that the Mtshali should arrange a meeting between the ANC and IFP leadership to discuss the equal sharing of all MEC and equivalent positions, including the reinstatement of the former MECs of Housing, Economic Development and Tourism and Education.

Ndebele said the KZN budget should make a better life for all, especially those who have been marginalised by the previous government.

Referring to the 1999 coalition agreement, Ndebele said that the coalition was formed because the two parties come from the most disadvantaged communities.

"Each of the participating parties shall contribute no less than 40% of members of the Cabinet, and such a proportion will guide the allocation of the parliamentary officers and chairpersons of different parliamentary committees."

This agreement, Ndebele said, was violated when Mtshali fired the ANC ministers. "These wrongs need to be corrected before Wednesday," he said.

Should Mike Mabuyakhulu, Dumisani Makhaye and Gabriel Ndabandaba not be reinstated in cabinet immediately, there could be consequences overnight," he warned.

On a more reconciliatory note he mentioned that the increased number of ANC members will not make the party arrogant.

"It's time for all to unite and go forward. It's not about development for people not about shining spears," he said.

Supporting this call for unity were the ACDP, NNP, MF and PDP. "According to the biblical principle of 'let your yes be your yes and your no be your no,' the ACDP supports the ANC in this aspect, as the 1999 Coalition agreement emphasised equality," Joanne Downs of the ACDP said.

However, KZN agriculture and environmental affairs MEC Narend Singh accused the ANC of using the floor-crossing to "trick" the majority of the people in the province who wanted to be led by the Inkatha Freedom Party.

"The bulk of IFP support comes from the people who have been marginalised by history, many of them living today in grinding poverty and need.

They are the people who were harshly treated by the colonial authorities and tricked out of their birthright.

They are the same people who were even more harshly treated by apartheid and tricked out of even more rights," Singh said.

They had voted enthusiastically when democracy dawned in 1994 to be a part of the new rainbow nation, and had done the same in 1999.

"But now it seems there have been attempts to cruelly trick them once again. Although they voted overwhelmingly for the IFP to represent their cause.

"The people of this province voted unmistakable for an IFP-led government."

An outspoken Roger Burrows of the DA, warned the ANC against the "boogy man" who will come and steal their votes in the next election.

Addressing Ndebele directly, he said that the ANC did not get their 41 seats to control the province and that the legislature elects a premier by a simple majority.

The vacancy of premier is currently filled by Mtshali and now the ANC is trying to get rid of him.

The sparks flew when IFP MP Lauren Ngcobo described the ANC's ultimatum as a "march to anarchy." She questioned the ANC's mandate to put such an ultimatum to the legislature.

"Is it the money in their pockets to buy defectors that has given them a mandate?

"Beware of a child who is screaming that he has been pinched. It often turns out that he pinched first."

Fired Housing Minister Dumisani Makhaye said the KZN electorate did not vote for an anti-ANC coalition government or alliance and that the constituents of this anti-ANC Alliance have indeed betrayed their constituencies and their public representatives that still have conscience.

A motion on the ultimatum will be passed on Tuesday.

- The Witness