The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in Mandeni, KwaZulu-Natal has blamed the ongoing violent protests on the north coast of the province on the failure of the African National Congress (ANC) to solve its internal squabbles.
Protesters brought the town to a standstill, demanding the immediate resignation of the Mandeni municipal mayor Sphesihle Zulu.
They are accusing Zulu of corruption and standing in the way of the provision of services.
Several shops, firms, factories and vehicles were destroyed, allegedly by protesters.
IFP Ilembe District Secretary Makhosonke Ntuli has called on the ruling party to quickly attend to its internal infighting saying its now costing the innocent community.
“We believe that the internal squabbles of the ANC are costing our people. They are doing what they are doing because the ANC leadership does not want to resolve its squabbles among themselves. Now this affects service delivery in the area of Mandeni which causes people to behave the way they are behaving. A second thing is the dissatisfaction of the community members about the Mayor of Mandeni, Mr S Zulu.”
Meanwhile, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has rubbished the claims by the IFP saying all political party members took part in the violent protests. However, party spokesperson Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu says ANC Provincial Leaders are currently holding talks with the affected parties to come up with a lasting solution.
“The IFP is being very opportunistic in raising that question because of what is happening in the area in Mandeni. The protests have all members of the community including IFP and EFF members so it cannot just be the ANC that is affecting the community.”
“Having said that the leadership of the ANC in the province has been having engagements with the community. They are engaging the community to establish what are their issues. The meetings are continuous and as soon as a we address the matter we will be able to report back,” says Simelane-Zulu.
Click video below:
