BUTHELEZI RETIREMENT
IFP’s succession plan raises concern
The anointing of obscure Velenkosini Hlabisa to replace Mangosuthu Buthelezi could divide the party, analysts warn
An analyst says the anointing of little-known Velenkosini Hlabisa to take over from Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founding Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader, could divide the party and cause instability. Buthelezi, 88, announced at the IFP’s extended national council meeting in Durban at the weekend that he would step down from the party’s leadership at its next elective conference, expected to take place in December in Ulundi. He has led the party with an iron fist since its inception in 1975. Some potential challengers for the throne have since fallen by the wayside, most notably former IFP secretary-general Musa Zondi, who resigned in December 2011, and former Zululand mayor Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, who left the party to form the National Freedom Party in 2011. Announcing the anointing, Buthelezi said the party’s structures had agreed that his position would be taken over by Hlabisa, who is the party’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary and the mayor of Hlabisa Local Municipality. Bu...
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