IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said he was pleased with the party's performance in the 2024 general election. (Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
- IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said the party was happy with its performance in the general elections.
- Hlabisa said the party would consider coalition options.
- The IFP leader says his party is not influenced by Umkhonto weSizwe.
IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said she was happy with the results the Umkhonto we'Sizwe Party (MKP) had already achieved, despite perceptions that the party had influenced its support base.
As of 3pm, more than 98% of votes had been processed and the IFP was on 3.89% support, while in KwaZulu-Natal, just over 99% of the votes had been received and the party had 18.26% support.
Speaking to reporters at the National Election Centre in Midrand on Saturday, Hlabisa said the party had three objectives going into the election, adding that it had achieved all of them and was pleased that its “active and determined campaign” had paid off.
“We had three objectives. One, to get the ANC out of KwaZulu-Natal. Target achieved. Second, to get the ANC down to below 50% in Gauteng so the IFP is part of the new government at the executive level. Target achieved. Third, to get the ANC down to below 50% at national level so the IFP is part of the new government and has a stronger say in shaping the direction of our country. Target achieved. The ANC is below 50% and we are happy,” Hlabisa said.
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The IFP president said the result showed South Africans had responded to his party's call to take to the polls to protest against “a government that has let them down”.
He added:
They did so and we want to thank them.
As of 13:00, the ANC's approval rating was at 40.26% and showed no signs of climbing above 50%.
Jacob Zuma's MKP is being blamed for the ANC's decline not only in national elections but also in provinces such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, where it has caused huge damage to the party.
The ANC has effectively lost control of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and while other parties say the MKP is eating away at the ANC's support base, Hlabisa says the IFP is unaffected by this.
He said:
Rumours are rife that the new party, MK, has brought hardship to all political parties, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. The known truth is that the IFP was not influenced by MK.
“Right now we have surpassed the numbers we got in the 2019 general elections and are getting it in 2021 too. So our base is strong. Unfortunately, other parties are being affected. [by the MKP factor].
“In terms of numbers, the IFP is probably the only party that has expanded its voter base both in numbers and percentage, until I have more information. The IFP will go into the various parliaments with more support than they did in the last term,” he said.
In 2019, the IFP won 3.38% of the national vote.
“So, in terms of the outcome, we are very happy. The IFP now looks forward to a new term, a new government…”
Hlabisa also revealed that the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) would meet on Sunday to discuss coalition options, but he said the party was not desperate for any coalition government.
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“We will look at all the results and consider the options available to us. I would like to say that we are not desperate for a coalition government but the fact is that South Africans are vocal in saying they want a government that works together as a coalition with sufficient checks and balances, because the principle of using the majority is over. Nothing can be easily overturned just because one party has a majority. It's over,” he said.
“Now we need to get the agreement of enough parties in parliament to get something going and they will now have enough eyes in the corner to monitor everything that has been done behind the curtain by one party. We will be looking at options as to what role we have as the NEC, as the IFP and which parties we can work with in coalition to rebuild South Africa.”
He also said leaders of the multi-party charter would meet on Saturday evening to discuss the way forward.
Hlabisa said the MPC was satisfied that it had achieved its original target of keeping the ANC's approval rating below 50 per cent.
