Celani Sikhakhane
As negotiations to form a coalition government continue, many breakaway parties that were formed by disgruntled leaders in the IFP and ANC will join up with their former bosses to form councils in KwaZulu-Natal.
In Okhahlamba, local municipalities are made up of four breakaway parties: Apemo, EFF, NPA and NFP, all of which were formed by former councillors of the ANC and the IFP.
Leaders of these new parties will have to eat a slice of humble pie and take a seat at the negotiation table with their former bosses.
Due to personal grudges, it is not clear if the EFF leader in that municipality, who was an ANC mayor in 2011, will agree to work with the ruling party.
Likewise, the NFP and Apemo are led by former IFP councillors, who may well refuse to ever form a coalition with that party.
Last week’s results in KZN:
- The IFP breakaway party, the NFP, won two seats.
- The ANC breakaway party, the EFF, won two seats.
- The NFP breakaway party, Apemo, won six seats.
- The ANC and the IFP each won eight seats.
“The problem is that these breakaway parties do not want to work with their former organisations due to the personal grudges which forced its leaders to form new political parties,” said one source.
“That is why we are concerned that we might have a problem which may lead to by-elections.”
Another source said such situations happened in 2016 in Nquthu, where parties were forced to go to court due to the failure to negotiate a coalition government.
Apemo’s Vikizitha Mlotshwa told Scrolla.Africa that he is willing to negotiate with anyone.
“I am the kingmaker here so the IFP and the ANC have invited me to a meeting so that we can pave a way forward. After those negotiations… I will decide whether I am taking the IFP’s offer or the ANC one,” said Mlotshwa.
Mlotshwa was previously an IFP mayor from 2006 to 2011, before he resigned to join the NFP. He left in October to campaign for his own party, Apemo.
The municipality is expected to inaugurate its council on 17 November.
