NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Inkatha Freedom Party

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is a political party in South Africa. As of 2003, it is led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The President of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africas Constitution. ... Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born June 18, 1942) is the President of the Republic of South Africa. ... The Deputy President of South Africa is appointed by the President of South Africa. ... Mrs Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (born November 3, 1955) is the current Deputy President of South Africa. ... Ministers, in the South African government, are Members of Parliament who hold a ministerial warrant to perform certain functions of government. ... The Parliament of South Africa is South Africas legislature and is composed of the National Assembly of South Africa and the National Council of Provinces. ... The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is the upper house of the Parliament of South Africa under the (post-apartheid) constitution which came into full effect in 1997. ... The National Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape Province. ... The Speaker of the National Assembly presides over the South African National Assembly. ... Tony Leon Anthony James Leon (born 15 December 1956) is a South African politician and the leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africas main opposition party and current leader of the opposition. ... Tony Leon Anthony James Leon (born 15 December 1956) is a South African politician and the leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africas main opposition party. ... The Judiciary of South Africa is an independent branch of government, subject only to the South African Constitution and the laws of the country. ... The South African Constitutional Court was established in 1994 by South Africas first democratic constitution: the Interim Constitution of 1993. ... The South African Supreme Court of Appeal (Afrikaans; Hoogste Hof van Appel van Suid Afrika) is the South African court that has the final say on all matters other than those that involve the interpretation of the constitution. ... The High Court of South Africa is a court of law in South Africa. ... Magistrates Courts in South Africa are the lower courts and the courts of of first instance and decide all matters as provided for by an act of parliament. ... Elections in South Africa take place on national, provincial, and local levels. ... Political parties in South Africa lists political parties in South Africa. ... A map of the nine provinces of South Africa South Africa is currently divided into nine provinces. ... Foreign Relations of South Africa South African forces fought on the Allied side in both World War I and World War II, and it participated in the postwar United Nations force in the Korean War. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chief Mangosuthu (Gatsha) Buthelezi (born August 27, 1928) is a South African Zulu leader, and leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which he formed in 1975. ...

History

The IFP was founded in 1975 by Gatsha Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a former member of the ANC Youth League, and was originally known as the Inkatha National Cultural Liberation Movement. Using a structure rooted in Inkatha, a 1920s cultural organization for Zulus established by Zulu leader King Solomon kaDinuzulu. The party was established in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, after which branches of the party quickly sprang up in the Transvaal, the Orange Free State and the Western Cape. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Chief Mangosuthu (Gatsha) Buthelezi (born August 27, 1928) is a South African Zulu leader, and leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which he formed in 1975. ... The African National Congress Youth League is the youth wing of the African National Congress. ... The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is a political party in South Africa. ... The 1920s was a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The Zulu (South African English and isiZulu: amaZulu) are an African ethnic group of about 11 million people who live mainly in the province KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. ... Solomon kaDinuzulu (1891-1933) was the king of the Zulu nation from 1913 until his death on 4 March 1933 at Kambi. ... KwaZulu-Natal (often referred to as KZN) is a province of South Africa. ... Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ... Capital Bloemfontein Created 1854 Dissolved 1900 Official language Dutch (Afrikaans more common) The Orange Free State (Afrikaans: Oranje Vrystaat) was an independent country in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a province in South Africa. ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 kmÂ² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/kmÂ² Elevation Highest point: Seweweekspoort Peak at 2325 meters (7628 feet) Lowest point: sea level Languages Afrikaans (55. ...

Because of Buthelezi's former position in the African National Congress, the two organizations were initially very close and each supported the other in the anti-apartheid struggle. However, by the early 1980s the IFP had come to be regarded as a thorn in the side of the ANC, which wielded much more political force through United Democratic Front(UDF),than the IFP and the Pan Africanist Congress.The UDF killed many opponents of the ANC through necklacing(where a tyre would be put around one's neck, poured with gasol and set alight) This was especially the case during the time period in which Nelson Mandela, F.W. de Klerk, and others were attempting to retain their dominance during the violence at the end of the apartheid system. Although the IFP leadership favored non-violence, as opposed to the ANC which had created the Umkhonto we Sizwe, there is clear evidence that during the time negotiations were taking place, Inkatha and ANC members were at war with each other where SPU and SDU's were formed, respectively, as their protection forces.This was explained by the IFP leadership as a response to the concerted and very public ANC calls for and acts of violence against IFP members and leadership. Many of the attacks carried out by the Inkatha militants were passively and at times actively supported by the South African police force, probably as a result of a coincidence of interest in ensuring that the ANC did not gain political dominance at the coming liberation. This odd coincidence of effort between police and the IFP indicates that not only whites, but the IFP were opposed to the creation of the South African state envisaged by the hard negotiations that were taking place at the time. That being said, the IFP militants were decidedly a minority in their own party. On the other side the ANC millitants were actively involved in undercover Cash heists which is believed to have boosted the ANC financially during 1994 polls. The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party, and has been South Africas governing party supported by a tripartite alliance between itself, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) since the establishment of majority rule in May 1994. ... PAC symbol The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) (later the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania), was a South African liberation movement, that is now a minor political party. ... Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA ) (born July 18, 1918) was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. ... President F.W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk (born March 18, 1936) is a former President of South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... For other uses of Umkhonto, see Umkhonto (disambiguation) Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated Spear of the Nation, was the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC). ...

During the phase of establishing a constitution for South Africa and prior to the first free elections in the history of South Africa, bloodshed frequently occurred between the IFP and the ANC. Both the IFP and ANC attempted to campaign in the each party's stronghold of Kwazulu-Natal and were met with resistance, sometimes violent, by members of both parties. The IFP was also initially opposed to parts of the proposed South African constitution regarding the internal politics of KwaZulu, and in particular they campaigned for an autonomous and sovereign Zulu king, (King Goodwill Zwelethini kaBhekuzulu), as head of state. As a result, the IFP abstained from registering its party for the election (a necessity in order to receive votes) in opposition. However, once it became obvious that its efforts were not going to stop the election (the IFP's desired goal), the party was registered. However, due to their opposition to the constitution, concessions were made and KwaZulu/Natal (and thus all the other provinces as well) were granted double ballots for provincial and national legislatures, great provincial powers, the inclusion of 'KwaZulu' in the official name of the province and recognition of specific ethnic and tribal groups within Natal. Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu (b. ...

On election day, the IFP displayed its political strength by taking the majority of the votes for KwaZulu/Natal.

Post-Apartheid Politics

After the dismantling of apartheid system in 1994, the IFP formed an uneasy coalition in KwaZulu/Natal with their traditional political rival, the ANC. This coalition was to last until 2004 when the IFP joined the Democratic Alliance, the major opposition party/coalition to the currently dominant ANC. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is a liberal South African political party, and the official opposition to the ruling African National Congress. ...

The IFP seeks to resolve a number of South African issues, especially the AIDS crisis, in addition to addressing, "unemployment, crime, poverty and corruption and prevent the consolidation of a one-party state" (IFP Official Website). The "prevention of a one-party state" is with regards to the ruling ANC, which is perceived by many as making efforts to undemocratically consolidate power for their own party. The IFP also states that "Our proposals are designed to give people control over their lives: a hand up, not a hand down. Social justice for all. We also have the political will to deal effectively with these problems."

Gavin Woods report

Gavin Woods, one of the party's most respected MPs, drew up a highly critical 11 page internal discussion document [1] at the request of the parliamentary caucus after a discussion in October 2004. In it he said that the IFP 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Woods pinpointed 1987 as the year when the IFP started losing ground as a political force. Before 1987, Woods contends, the party had a strong, unambiguous national identity. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the first caucus discussion, Woods read out the 11-page paper in full and caucus members were generally positive about its frank nature. IFP president Mangosuthu Buthelezi was absent from that meeting but raised it at a meeting of the party's national council, which Woods did not attend.

At a subsequent caucus meeting where both were present, Buthelezi read from a prepared statement attacking Woods. All the numbered copies were ordered to be "shredded" but some survived.

Elections

Percentage of Votes: 7%
Total Votes: 1,088,664 (third highest number in South Africa)
Number of Seats: 28.

South African general election, 1999 for IFP: South Africas second non-racial general election, held on 1999-06-02, was won by the African National Congress (ANC), who increased their number of seats by 14. ...

Percentage of Votes: 8.9%
Total Votes: 1,141,362 (third)
Number of Seats: 37
(Also, won the majority of votes for KwaZulu-Natal with 1241522 votes, or 41.9%).

South African general election, 1994 for IFP: 1994 General Election results, National Assembly African National Congress (ANC) 12,237,655 62. ...

See also

On March 28, 1994, a short time before the first democratic elactions in South Africa, 20 000 Inkatha Freedom Party supporters marched past the ANC headquater in Plein Street, Johannesburg, called Shell House. ...

External links

Sources

Nelson Mandela; Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela; Little Brown & Co; ISBN 0-316-54818-9 (paperback, 1995) Book cover Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work written by Nelson Mandela, and published in 1995 by Little Brown & Co. ...

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