Durban — Political analysts said the ANC’s decision to reject the erection of a statue of the late IFP founder and Zulu traditional prime minister, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, will backfire badly in the elections next year.
Both University of KwaZulu-Natal Professor Fikile Vilakazi and Zululand University Professor Sipho Seepe said they believed the ANC stood to lose more by rejecting the proposal than agreeing to it.
During the memorial service, which was held on Wednesday last week before the late Buthelezi’s burial on Saturday, IFP provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli called on the ANC-led provincial government to live up to its reconciliation tone and honour Buthelezi by erecting a statue of him outside the provincial legislature building in Pietermaritzburg, which the ANC rejected.
Vilakazi said she felt sorry for the ANC since the issue had put them in a difficult position, because if it allowed the erection of the statue it would be agreeing that indeed Buthelezi was a hero, which the party did not seem to agree with.
Vilakazi said if the ANC agrees with the erection of the statue, it will look like it is endorsing the IFP before elections next year. On the other hand, she said if the ANC continued to reject the proposal it could backfire, since it would be like it contradicted itself with all the praise it offered Buthelezi during ministers’ visits prior to and during his funeral on Saturday, and even honoured him with a Category One state funeral.
She said the reconciliatory tone displayed by the ANC was now questionable.
“I think the ANC is in a precarious position because if it allows the statue it would be like endorsing a rival political party, but on the other hand rejecting the statue will also make loyal Zulus vote for the IFP in numbers,” said Vilakazi.
Weighing in on the matter Seepe agreed with Vilakazi, saying the IFP would mobilise the Zulu nation, telling them that the ANC never supported traditional leadership, and would galvanise them to vote in honour of the late Zulu traditional prime minister.
Seepe added that the cost of rejecting the statue would be greater for the ANC than allowing it.
“This is a difficult position for the ANC, but rejecting the proposal looks like it will haunt the party more than allowing it, since the IFP might use the issue as A campaigning tool, calling on loyal Zulus to vote for it,” said Seepe.
The matter has sparked debate between the ANC Youth League and the IFP Youth Brigade, which exchanged bitter words on Monday.
The ANC Youth League fired the first shot, accusing Ntuli of dreaming of becoming a premier next year, which it said would not happen.
The ANC youth wing rejected the proposal, saying there was no way the Zulu prime minister could have a statue next to his king (King Goodwill Zwelithini), but the IFP youth wing sprang to Ntuli’s defence, accusing the ANC of not understanding the relationship that Buthelezi and King Zwelithini had.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele differed with the political analysts, saying the party did not fear any backlash for its decision.
Mndebele insisted that its rejection of the statue was based on the party’s position that only the late King Zwelithini’s statue should be there, and not his prime minister’s, since this would mean they had equal status, which was not true.
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