ANC wants to change KZN govt
2003-02-25 22:56
Christi van der Westhuizen
Cape Town - The African National Congress (ANC) is intent on changing the premiership in KwaZulu-Natal, said Dr Penuell Maduna, minister of justice and constitutional development, in a discussion on the floor-crossing legislation in the national assembly.
Maduna was reacting to accusations by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) that the real intent of the legislation was to shift the premiership in KwaZulu-Natal from the IFP to the ANC.
Legislation to allow defection for MPs and members of the provincial legislatures got the nod in the national assembly on Tuesday.
This comes after the Constitutional Court found the draft legislation unconstitutional, but found that floor-crossing was constitutional.
The ANC agreed not to make the amended act retroactive after the IFP threatened an early election in the province.
The IFP, United Democratic Movement, African Christian Democratic Party, Pan Africanist Congress and the Freedom Front voted against the legislation.
Allegations of "cheque politics," "political prostitution", theft and kleptomania were bandied about during the debate.
Albert Mncwango, national organiser of the IFP, said the ANC's real goal was to take over KwaZulu-Natal by a "coup through decree".
He said the ANC was guilty of cheque politics in KwaZulu-Natal by offering cash payments and senior positions to opposition politicians. He claimed the ANC was involved in a recruitment campaign to secure a one-party state.
He said the legislation changed the will of the people without testing the decision at the polls.
Fatima Chohan-Kota of the ANC admitted that the floor-crossing legislation favoured large parties, but said other aspects of the political system compensated for this.