KZN scales tip in ANC's favour
2004-04-20 22:09
Mandy Rossouw and Jan-Jan Joubert
Pretoria - The balance of power in KwaZulu-Natal tipped in favour of the African National Congress on Tuesday when the United Democratic Movement threw its weight behind an ANC government in the province, independent of participation by the Inkatha Freedom Party.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said on Tuesday that President Thabo Mbeki had approached his party on Sunday to help in breaking the political deadlock in KwaZulu-Natal.
Holomisa said: "Because the UDM, like last year during the floor-crossing legislation implementation, believes the majority party should form the government, we will enter into negotiations with the ANC."
This means the ANC, Minority Front and UDM now control 41 seats out of the 80 in the legislature - enough to form a workable government if necessary.
The IFP's Musa Zondi was not aware of the UDM statement by Tuesday evening and said his party would react only once it had studied the declaration.
Inaugurations going ahead, regardless
Sources in the provincial ANC said on Tuesday that even although the ANC would have preferred to co-operate with the IFP, early indications about four IFP posts in the provincial cabinet were now unlikely.
In a further blow to Inkatha, government leaders and political experts agreed the inauguration of members of parliament and the president would go ahead.
The IFP is expected to file documents with the electoral court in Bloemfontein on Wednesday to complain about violence, intimidation and several other incidents that they claim influenced the elections.
Mbeki's spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said on Tuesday the IFP court case would not influence the inauguration ceremony scheduled for April 27.
The Independent Electoral Commission said the election results, as they were officially declared on Saturday, were valid until the electoral court decided otherwise.
Professor Susan Booysen, lecturer in political studies at the University of Port Elizabeth, agreed the case would not affect the inauguration and said it would simply provide an impetus to political negotiations between the ANC and IFP.
Want the 'bad apples' arrested
Booysen said she did not believe there were any "major irregularities" and that the hearing would be over soon.
Zondi did not want to elaborate on Tuesday about the exact complaints, but said the KwaZulu-Natal provincial results and the national results would be contested.
"We want the injustices to be addressed fully," he said.
He did not want to say whether the IFP wanted the results to be set aside, but said they wanted the "bad apples" arrested.
Meanwhile, Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said in a statement on Tuesday that they could find no evidence of irregularities the IFP reported to Lekota.
Allegations against members of the defence force, whom the IFP claimed had manhandled people in Msinga, were rejected as "unfounded".