KZN Provincial Conference June 2007

KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE OF INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY

HELD AT UMZIMKHULU FET COLLEGE
FROM 30 JUNE TO 1 JULY 2007

RESOLUTIONS

RESOLUTION 1: On the Leadership of HE Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, President of the IFP:

  1. Conference acknowledges that the President HE Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi provides KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa with:
    • Leadership which embodies the hallowed values of the struggle for liberation as propounded by its founding fathers.
    • Leadership which champions the aspirations of the poorest of the poor and the powerless, and,
    • Leadership which will bequeath to future generations a safe and prosperous South Africa

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To thank God for blessing KwaZulu-Natal and the entire country with a leader who is selflessly dedicated to the cause of justice and freedom for all.
  2. To pray that the Almighty may continue to preserve our President for the sake of our country

RESOLUTION 2:

On the recent Strike

  1. Conference notes with concern and shock that even at the darkest hour of apartheid oppression, never has South Africa witnessed a protracted a strike as the one that took place recently involving public sector unions.
  2. Conference fully understands the plight of the poorly-paid government employees who find it almost impossible to meet their day-to-day needs in the face of escalating cost of living.
  3. Conference is however disturbed that the recent strike was characterized by intimidation, loss of life, damage to property and that it extremely compromised service delivery, and, had a very negative impact on the economy of South Africa, and particularly that of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To applaud Government and Unions for having finally reached a settlement, which seemed acceptable to both parties.
  2. To however warn both government and union leadership that in future they must avoid posturing and entering into negotiations in bad faith, so that South Africa shall never see a recurrence of a similar tragedy.
  3. To express our grave concern that the leadership of the unions failed to instill discipline in their members, which resulted in incidents of intimidation and other forms of undemocratic and uncivilized behavior.
  4. To call on government to pay serious attention to the question of the conditions of service of public employees which are not satisfactory at all.

RESOLUTION 3: On Disrespectful acts against the State President

  1. Conference notes with consternation that internal power struggles within the ANC have led to disrespectful and criminal acts such as the burning of the effigy of the President of South Africa, HE Mr. Thabo Mbeki and the pelting with stones of the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, the Hon. Dr Sbusiso Ndebele.

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To totally condemn those sections of the ANC responsible for such un-African and uncivilized behavior against HE the President of South Africa and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal.
  2. To call on the leadership of the opposing camps within the ANC to ensure that their supporters conduct their campaigns within the confines of democracy and civility.
  3. To applaud the visionary leadership of our President who recently piloted a Private Member’s Bill in the national Parliament, which calls for, amongst other things, the establishment of the Office of a ceremonial State President and that of a Prime Minister who will be Head of Government.

RESOLUTION 4: On Governance in KwaZulu-Natal

  1. Conference acknowledges as a sad reality that service delivery and good governance in general are almost nonexistent in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal
  2. Further, Conference notes that this very unfortunate situation places immense challenges on the Inkatha Freedom Party to intensify its campaign to regain the government of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To accept with humility the challenge to rescue our Province from the jaws of confused and partisan leadership of the Government of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal by the ANC.
  2. To therefore call on every member of the IFP to fight for the preservation of unity within the IFP, to work diligently to ensure that all structures of the IFP are operating at their maximum capacity and geared towards recapturing KwaZulu-Natal.

RESOLUTION 5: On IFP-led Municipalities

  1. Conferences notes the crucial role that is played by Municipalities as the first line of attack against poverty and underdevelopment, and, for service delivery and empowerment of our communities

Conference therefore resolves

  1. To urge IFP members who are serving in the various levels within Municipalities to always keep in mind that the IFP deployed them in those positions in order to serve and empower our people.

RESOLUTION 6: On HIV-ANDS and Virginity-Testing

  1. Conference notes that the devastation caused by HIV and AIDS continues to wreak havoc within communities despite awareness programs spearheaded by government and other organizations.
  2. Conference notes also with dismay that despite this reality, the ANC-led government has decided to take a stand against community-driven initiates such as virginity-testing

Conference resolves:

  1. To express our support and love to all individuals and families that have been infected and affected by the scourge of HIV-AIDS.
  2. To applaud all individuals and organizations that are fighting relentlessly for the eradication of the HIV-AIDS scourge.
  3. To salute all women and the youth who continue to participate in programs such as virginity-testing which help towards the reduction of the HIV infections.
  4. To call on government to rethink the position it has taken against virginity-testing and other traditional programs meant to encourage moral behavior.
  5. Further to call on government to pull out all the stops in the campaign to roll-out ARV’s to the victims of AIDS.
  6. To renew our call to the youth of KwaZulu-Natal to abstain from sexual behaviors that are detrimental to their lives and call on all married men and women to be faithful to their marriage spouses.

RESOLUTION 7: On Crime and Lawlessness

  1. Conference notes with dismay that although South Africa fought gallantly to liberate herself from apartheid oppression, she now finds herself imprisoned by crime and lawlessness that negate all the democratic gains of the struggle.
  2. Conference further notes that crime and lawlessness are the symptoms of a nation that has deviated from its moral and cultural foundations.
  3. Conference is however disturbed that government seems unable to grasp the gravity of the situation and to gather enough political will to deal decisively with these threats.
  4. Conference is of the view that the threats of crime and lawlessness call for more than building more prisons, rehabilitation of prisoners and programs for economic empowerment.

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To call on government to realize that unless it takes very drastic steps now to deal decisively with crime, South Africa faces a bleak future
  2. To direct the leadership of the IFP to urgently place on their agenda the question of leading a call for a spiritual, moral and cultural revolution that must encompass all corners of this Province and the country.
  3. To call on all communities and all sectors of society to actively join forces in this noble revolution.
  4. To urge government to heed this call and join hands with all peace-loving men and women in the fight against the eradication of crime, lawlessness and the restoration of the values of ubuntu.

RESOLUTION 8: On Gender Equity

  1. Conference acknowledges that the struggle was for the liberation of all the oppressed including women.
  2. Conference therefore acknowledges with pride the commendable record of our President who championed the abolition of the Natal Zulu Code which had discriminated against women and thus channeled the IFP towards treating both men and women as equal creatures deserving of equal human rights and opportunities
  3. Further, conference supports government efforts towards removing obstacles which entrenched, and still entrench, the legal subjugation of women
  4. Conference however, acknowledges that more still needs to be done to fully realize this noble objective

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To condemn all acts which prevent women from realizing their full potential as citizens of this country.
  2. To recommit ourselves to go on struggling until all women realize complete emancipation in all spheres of South African life.

RESOLUTION 9: On 2010 Soccer World Cup

  1. Conference realizes that the coming 2010 Soccer World Cup has the potential to help raise the standard of soccer in this country to international levels as well as to contribute immensely to boosting the economy of our country.
  2. Conference notes however that there is a danger that IFP members and other individuals not aligned to the ANC may be left out of the process and finally the benefits that could accrue there from.

Conference therefore resolves

  1. To charge all IFP MP’s, MPP’s who are Members of Sports and Recreation Parliamentary Portfolios to disseminate information on the available and potential empowerment opportunities to all IFP membership and IFP-controlled Municipalities.
  2. To call on the Provincial leadership of the IFP to monitor if this is happening and to ensure that such information filters through to the branches of the Party.
  3. To call on the branches of the Party to deliberate on strategies to ensure that our members and other communities benefit from the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

RESOLUTION 10: On Mr. Mncedisi Mkhize who came third in the Comrades Marathon 2007

  1. Conference expresses the IFP’s profound pride and jubilation that a local lad Mncedisi Mkhize came third in the recent Comrades Marathon 2007.
  2. Further, conference notes that Mncedisi does not only represent our Province, but the whole South Africa, in that he was the first South African to cross the line after the first two athletes from Russia.

Conference therefore resolves:

  1. To salute and honour Mncedisi Mkhize, the resident of this Province for raising the banner of KwaZulu-Natal and that of South Africa
  2. To encourage the youth of KwaZulu-Natal in general and the youth of the IFP in particular to accept the challenge that Mncedisi has thrown to all of us by his exceptional accomplishment which he has achieved against tremendous odds.
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