IFP policies to be guided by devolution of power

The IFP is proposing a participative democracy as an ideology that will guide its delegates to adopt policies to present to the electorate ahead of the 2024 general elections, as opposed to old-fashioned ideas. 

The party’s national policy conference, the first in more than a decade, kicked off in Empangeni, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday. 

IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said the party’s policies will be based on the “ideology of participative democracy”.

“We believe in getting power closer to the people, devolving it to the lowest level of governance, enabling communities to design their own solutions to their unique challenges.

“There is power in the IFP’s approach of working hand in hand with the people we serve. There is power in partnerships and participative politics. That is where the real work is being done and where results are delivered,” said Hllabisa.

While the party’s values are not under discussion, Hlabisa said a thorough review of its policies is important.

“Policies must evolve because needs evolve and new challenges emerge that demand solutions. In 1994, nobody was talking about corruption or load-shedding. In 2024, any political party that does not have a solution to corruption and load-shedding has no place on the ballot paper.”

He criticised leftist ideologies, which have informed the direction of the country since democracy. 

“The ruling party’s policies are based on socialism, which has been discredited throughout the world as a recipe for economic disaster. But the ANC clings to socialism, focusing on a national democratic revolution instead of focusing on the National Development Plan, which could have delivered economic revival.

“The ruling party is not alone in chasing a flawed ideology. For all its rhetoric about being young and relevant, the EFF’s foundational ideology was designed 10 years before I was born. They refuse to move out of the mindset of nationalisation.

“Why on earth should we believe the state would run our mines and our banks with integrity when they have run our energy and infrastructure into the ground? Instead of admitting their failure and fixing it, they just keep digging,” he said. 

He said he hopes policies adopted by the party will resonate with voters, adding that policies that put South Africans at the centre will draw voters to the IFP. 

“We cannot rely on the upswing of support we have received in the past. We cannot even rely on winning the many disillusioned voters of the ruling party unless we invest ourselves in campaigning.

“I encourage all of us who are present here to mobilise support for the IFP like never before.”

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