Mashaba questions IFP over ANC coalition ‘backtrack’

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has questioned the IFP’s decision to work with the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, after previously saying it would not get into a coalition with the party.

As the November 23 deadline to form coalitions looms, several parties have been locked in talks to form majorities in the 66 hung municipalities across the country.

IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa announced on Wednesday his party had agreed to help the ANC take power in KwaZulu-Natal where it was needed. In exchange, the ANC would support the IFP in areas it needed a majority to govern.

The decision came a week after Hlabisa said his party would not enter into any coalitions with the ANC, saying the ruling party had let the country down and the IFP would “not bring them back”.

“They (ANC) have let down the people of SA and the voters clearly expressed themselves when it comes to the ANC. We will not bring them back.”

Mashaba noted this “U-turn” and took to social media to ask what had changed.

He also posted a message about those who slam the ANC and then help them, which many saw as being aimed at the IFP.

“You can’t say voetskek ANC with one corner of your mouth, and then say you want to help them govern with the other corner. I hope voters are watching as election commitments are cast aside for a taste of power,” he said.

Hlabisa responded to questions about the “backtrack”, saying nothing has changed from his previous stance.

He said the IFP and ANC would “remain opponents, but opponents who have agreed to operate on the same principle for the sake of securing stability in local government and offering our people service delivery”.

“It goes without saying that this is not a coalition, because a coalition places both parties in power-sharing positions. But what we are doing is allowing the party with the most votes to govern, while the other party is relegated to the opposition."