IFP boss shuts down ANC’s call to axe Buthelezi again

By Celani Sikhakhane

• IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa says Buthelezi’s future should be discussed privately, not in public, after the ANC demanded his removal.

• The dispute follows Buthelezi’s opposition to uMkhanyakude’s R14.6-million water tanker purchase, which he says is financially reckless.

IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa has refused to entertain the ANC’s call for the removal of KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi.

Hlabisa responded to a question from Scrolla.Africa during a media briefing on Monday. He said there are proper platforms to discuss the matter, and a public briefing isn’t one of them.

“We won’t engage this issue in the public domain. There are platforms where such issues are discussed. In a coalition government, no political party should dictate how another organisation manages its affairs. In KZN, we have leaders from both the ANC and IFP tasked with discussing such issues. We have Premier Thami Ntuli in the IFP and Mike Mabuyakhulu in the ANC, who are deployed to engage on these matters,” Hlabisa said.

His response follows the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal calling for Buthelezi’s removal, accusing him of using his position to target ANC-led municipalities. This is not the first time the party has made this demand.

In November last year, a similar standoff between the ANC and Buthelezi over uMkhanyakude reportedly led to an agreement for Premier Ntuli to move Buthelezi out of the Cogta portfolio, as part of a deal to secure ANC backing for Ntuli against a motion of no confidence brought by MKP. That reshuffle never materialised, and Buthelezi has remained in the position since.

The latest dispute centres on uMkhanyakude District Municipality’s proposed R14.6-million purchase of five specialised water tankers through a 36-month instalment agreement. Buthelezi has opposed the transaction, arguing the municipality should not take on additional debt when the provincial government has already deployed five water tankers to assist communities in the district, at no cost to the municipality.

Buthelezi described the proposed expenditure as financially irresponsible, saying tankers have already been dispatched to Jozini, Big Five Hlabisa, uMhlabuyalingana and Mtubatuba to help address water shortages.

The ANC has defended the purchase, arguing that acquiring a permanent fleet is lawful and would strengthen the municipality’s long-term ability to provide water.

ANC KZN provincial spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica accused Buthelezi of turning the Cogta portfolio into an instrument of political conflict, saying the party views his tenure with “unreserved contempt.”

The ANC further accused the MEC of “partisan sabotage, administrative tyranny, and brazen hypocrisy,” claiming his actions are undermining service delivery in ANC-led municipalities.

Pictured above: KZN Cogta MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, accused by the ANC of weaponising his department against ANC-led municipalities.

Image source: Cogta