Remarks by
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP
Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party
I think our President has said everything that needs to be said. I would like simply to echo his appreciation to the electorate for putting their trust in the IFP.
While some of the votes we received are clearly from people who have identified the IFP as the solution for our country’s present crisis, many of the votes represent people who have walked with the IFP for decades. These stalwarts and patriots have worked alongside us as South Africa went through some of her greatest crises. They know what the IFP is capable of. I want to thank them, specifically, for keeping the faith and for keeping the IFP strong. Because now, in the present crisis, the IFP can lead again.
It has never been my style to boast. So I shall not regale you with statistics of the IFP’s successes in this election. You have all seen the results and no doubt you have all carefully considered their meaning. The fact that the IFP gained 112 additional seats clearly indicates a party on an upward trajectory.
But this is not a surprise. Already in 2019 the IFP was placed on a strong upward trajectory, after which we continued to win by-election after by-election. We were called ‘the comeback kids’ and everyone expected the IFP to do well in 2021.
The deterioration in our country’s governance and wellbeing has only served to emphasise the IFP as a champion of integrity. The IFP fills a very specific need in the present body politic: the need for trustworthy leaders.
I am incredibly proud to see the IFP taking forward its legacy of leadership integrity. It is a source of great satisfaction to me to know that the IFP remains strong, and uncompromising on its principles. It is really a vindication of the careful path we have walked to transition from the IFP’s first chapters, to the maturing of a Party that constantly punches above its weight.
I would like to express my support and appreciation for the leadership provided by our President. Under his guidance, an enormous amount of work was put in to ensure the success of this campaign. To all who contributed, I say thank you.
Indeed, I say thank you as well to you – our country’s journalists and reporters – for working tirelessly to bring news, updates and thought-provoking debates into the public domain. Thank you too for being vigilant against electoral fraud and for holding not only Government, but also the IEC, accountable at every turn.
So long as the pillars of our democracy remain intact and functioning, there is hope for South Africa.
I look forward now to seeing the IFP’s impact. This is indeed just the beginning.
I thank you.
