From left to right: IFP treasurer general Narend Singh, IFP KZN chairperson Thamsanqa Ntuli and IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa. | Thobeka Ngema
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) national council resolved to renew membership and extend leadership terms until December 2025.
This was revealed by IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa who said there was a national council meeting, the highest decision-making body in the conference’s absence, on Sunday.
“We took a resolution that the lifetime of membership of all people who have renewed their membership is the end of December 2025,” Hlabisa said.
“We made a second decision, that the lifetime of all structures - branches, constituencies, regions, districts, provinces, the NEC at a national level, the women’s brigade - all their term of office was extended to December 2025.
“Why? We wanted to allow from now, until the end of this year, that we hold all conferences, we inaugurate all branches, and we audit all branches so that we have a credible conference,” Hlabisa continued.
He said that for a credible conference, branches, once inaugurated, must be audited.
“We are giving a reasonable time to get all conferences electing, so that when January comes in 2026, we put our focus on the campaign for the local government elections,” Hlabisa said.
He said elective conferences are part of assuring democracy within the organisation.
“Conferences are just ensuring that there is democracy and should not be allowed to divert the vision and direction the party is taking,” Hlabisa said.
The IFP will hold an elective conference for the first time without its late founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died in September 2023.
Late last year, the party announced it had tasked secretary-general Siphosethu Ngcobo to conduct a comprehensive audit of the party’s 800 branches ahead of the conference.
Looking at the 2026 local government elections, Hlabisa said they will decide on what the main theme of the elections should be.
“As you rightly know, last year’s elections were dedicated to uMntwana waKwaPhindangene. If we feel it’s still good, if we feel we are moving forward, we will also do so (next year) because Prince Buthelezi will remain a feature of the IFP and his legacy will be taken from generation to generation to the people of South Africa because he played a great role for them and also within the organisation,” Hlabisa said.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za