Inkatha Freedom Party
National Executive Committee (NEC) Statement
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
On ENdumeni Local Municipality:
Consistent with ongoing monitoring and evaluation over the municipalities that the IFP governs the NEC resolved on 10 September 2018 to recall the Mayor and Speaker of ENdumeni Local Municipality to restore order and stability to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
The Mayor duly complied and tendered his resignation.
The Speaker initially agreed with the resolution recalling her, but later refused to comply.
Through the Daily Management Committee (DMC) and the Political Oversight Committee (POC) the Party tried to convince her to comply with the recall but she, the Speaker, remained defiant.
The Party therefore instituted disciplinary proceedings. The Speaker tried to interdict this process through court action, and was unsuccessful.
On Saturday, 27 October 2018 a special meeting of the National Council convened in terms of section 11.10 of the IFP Constitution. The National Council after deliberating on this matter resolved unanimously to terminate the IFP membership of the Speaker with immediate effect; thus effectively she loses her privilege to hold public office on behalf of the IFP.
This frank action by the IFP upholds our commitment to clean and stable governance.
The POC will now make the necessary changes to enable the municipality to elect a new Mayor and Speaker.
Privatise SAA and SA Express:
The NEC notes the decision by Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni to further bail out SAA and SA Express by over R6.7 billion (R5 billion to SAA and a further R1.7 billion to SA Express). This comes despite the fact that both entities of the Public Enterprises Ministry have failed to table their Annual Report including their financials to Parliament over the past three years.
The IFP NEC believes that it is unsustainable to continue bailing out these two failed SOEs. We can ill –afford as a country to keep throwing financial solutions to what are purely non-financial problems.
Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan MP, would do well to table a restructuring plan of SAA and SA Express which should include a substantial privatisation approach to ensure greater profitability.
VBS Bank Heist – The plot thickens:
The IFP NEC calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure that any monies received from VBS Bank or Vele Investments by the ANC must be paid back as soon as possible; following reports of an alleged amount of R2 million secured by former ANC Treasurer General and now Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Zweli Mkhize MP.
The NEC supports the party’s Integrity Commission announcement to have all ANC members implicated in the VBS report step aside from leadership positions; however, we believe that these members implicated must summarily resign.
As the plot thickens, it is high time that President Cyril Ramaphosa act decisively and with haste to ensure that a National Task Team is set up in order to investigate banking practices at all major banks in the country. This may be done in conjunction with the Financial Services Regulatory Board and the Anti-Corruption Task Team (ACTT).
The damning report into VBS bank and the scale of looting by government officials, political parties and bank officials must see urgent action taken by law enforcement authorities and those implicated must face the full might of the law.
President Ramaphosa must relook terms of reference – PIC Commission:
The NEC welcomes the President’s announcement to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged mismanagement at the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
However, the IFP NEC wishes to express its displeasure with the restrictive terms of reference set out by the President.
In order to imbue confidence in the commission, it would be important to extend the terms of reference from 2015-2018 to 2008 – 2018, due to the number of investments and transactions made by the PIC that may have had an adverse effect on the PICs work and the commission would possibly uncover more dodgy dealings.
