Three senior IFP leaders are expected to emerge as contenders for the leadership position ahead of the party’s elective conference which will take place next year.
This will be the party’s first conference since the passing of its founding president Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi and MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Mntomuhle Khawula are expected to challenge party president Velenkosini Hlabisa, but insiders said they would lobby for a single candidate who can keep the party united.
The IFP saw its support increase in KwaZulu-Natal in the May 29 general elections compared to its 2019 results.
It has also secured its role in the government of national unity and is the majority party in KwaZulu-Natal’s government of provincial unity.
Members of the party were aware of the devastating impact factionalism has had on other parties and they do not want the IFP to fall into the same trap, one source said.
“The majority of supporters would like to see Hlabisa emerge victorious at the elective conference because he is seen as someone who can unite everyone behind the common goal of improving election results in 2026.
“It is a year away and there are efforts being made to convince other senior leaders to focus on their portfolios and not get carried away with contestation.”
The source said the party had been wary of a contest prior to the election and decided to deploy Hlabisa to Parliament in a bid to avert conflict between him and Ntuli over the premier candidate position.
“The key issue is that the IFP must improve its performance at the next election and avoid the issue of factionalism.
“The party was written off in KZN at one stage but it has now come back and is the leading party in the Government of Provincial Unity.”
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party’s elective conference will be held before August.
“Any talk about candidates now is wholly premature. President Velenkosini Hlabisa is at the helm and under his leadership the party is growing, is solid and we are happy.”
Hlabisa during a media briefing last week said that the elective conference, which had initially been scheduled for this year, had been suspended as the elections had taken priority for the party.
He said that the postponement of the elective conference was necessary as the party was aware that after the election there would be a period of establishing government at different levels.
“The first 100 days is a critical period after elections and that is why our focus and attention was put in ensuring that the government of KZN becomes functional.
“At the end of September we said we had stabilised the governments in Gauteng, KZN and at national level and now we could activate the party activities to prepare for a conference.”
Hlabisa said once the process of auditing branches was finalised the party’s National Council, its highest decision-making body in between conferences, would decide on the time lines.
This would include the election of constituencies, election of district committees, of provincial executive committees, the different national brigades and the national executive committee.
“We have already made the road map to the 2026 local government elections and we want to finalise the internal elections next year so we can concentrate on a robust election campaign,” Hlabisa said.
The Mercury