THE Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leadership is in turbulence after some of the national executive committee (NEC) members of the party forced the party’s secretary-general Siphosethu Ngcobo to call a special national council sitting, but the NEC dismissed it.
Now those NEC members who requested the special meeting have been summoned to appear before the NEC on Monday, 7 August.
The special sitting with an unclear agenda was scheduled to take place at Imbizo Hall in Empangeni, northern KZN on Monday, 31 July. The special sitting was requested by 20 members who signed the letter to deliberate on the current issues.
Ngcobo initially wrote to the party president Velenkosini Hlabisa and party founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, notifying them about the special sitting but on Monday, 31 July the special sitting was dismissed.
“Please be advised that I have received a request from at least 20 members of the National Council to convene the National Council meeting. In terms of Clause 4.27 of the Constitution, I have determined to convene the requested meeting of the National Council as follows due to the National Council being superior to the National Executive Committee,” he said.
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Insiders told Daily Sun that the special sitting was to amend some party resolutions and for a vote of no confidence against the party’s president Hlabisa.
“The IFP resolution says councillors are not allowed leave their positions to be members of the legislature or Parliament because service delivery will be interrupted. Now as elections are just around the corner, some of the members who are mayors are eyeing to position if IFP wins KZN and they want that resolution to be amended and place a vote of no confidence in the president or move him from KZN legislature to national parliament,” said one of the insiders.
Daily Sun contacted IFP spokesman Mkhuleko Hlengwa, who didn’t answer his phone. WhatsApp message were sent to him with no response.
But later the IFP sent a media statement confirming that their secretary-general received a vague petition from 20 petitioners requesting a special urgent sitting of the IFP National Council.
“The NEC, today, Monday, 31 July 2023 having considered the matter has resolved to dismiss the petition.
“The National Council is a serious body of the party that cannot be convened willy-nilly. The National Council will be ordinarily convened by the president for its normal business at a date to be determined.”
