IFP, ANC: Meeting 'routine'
2004-01-28 21:50
Cape Town - The ANC and IFP on Wednesday poured scorn on media reports that
the two major protagonists in the political battle for
KwaZulu-Natal are
negotiating a pre-election pact.
Their denials follow two days of reports in the newspaper ThisDay quoting
ANC national head of information Smuts Ngonyama and the party's KZN leader
S'bu Ndebele on the possible imminence of such a pact.
The catalyst to these reports appears to be a routine meeting that took
place in Durban on Monday between a committee comprising members of the ANC
and IFP.
These five-a-side meetings were convened to discuss several issues rooted in
the history of strife between the two parties, including international
mediation and events in the low-intensity civil war in
KwaZulu-Natal during
the 1980s.
Buthelezi
On Wednesday, IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi brought and end to the
speculation by breaking his party's silence on the issue.
"This was not a political meeting and has no bearing on the IFP's political
position in respect of the elections or thereafter.
It was a long-scheduled
meeting, part of an ongoing process of dialogue and consultation between the
two parties since 1999," Buthelezi said.
"It was extremely careless of the leader of the ANC in
KwaZulu-Natal, Mr S'bu
Ndebele, to try and involve the media in this matter.
No statements will be
issued by the IFP on this matter. It is mischievous in the extreme to try
to ascribe to the meeting political significance which it does not have,"
the IFP leader added.
According to Buthelezi, such efforts confuse the electorate and the two
constituencies of the IFP and ANC, because the meetings are not about the
present, but rather about past relations and their current impact.
Neither Ngonyama nor Ndebele, who were both earlier quoted on the matter,
were available for comment on Wednesday and it fell to ANC spokesperson Steyn
Speed to agree with Buthelezi.
"Dr Buthelezi's general characterisation of the discussions is correct. It is
also true to say the relationship between the ANC and the IFP was discussed.
This is not limited to the past. There is also much discussion on how to
take it forward," Speed said.
Speculation
"We agree that statements should not be issued on the content of
discussions. Much speculation is taking place."
On being asked whether Ndebele and Ngonyama had been quoted incorrectly,
Speed claimed not to have seen the media reports.
"I can confirm that no pre-election pact is planned. We fight this election
on our own, independent of any relationships we have with other parties," he
said.