The IFP launched its manifesto on Sunday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, where thousands of its supporters packed the Durban venue in a show of force ahead of the May 29 general elections.
Picking the venue that was used by its rivals, the ANC and EFF, was deliberate as the IFP wants to claim the province it controlled for about a decade after the 1994 elections.
But South African politics has proved that filling a stadium to its rafters does not success for any party. Anyone can attend a political rally as it is open to the public. There is also a little bit of entertainment that is dished to the people who brave the heat to listen to politicians' promises.
Shouldn’t the IFP move past its former leader and grow through new leaders to honour his legacy? That is the big question the party must answer.
Then the question is: what will decide who rules KwaZulu-Natal after May 29? There are many factors at play. For the IFP it is its biggest test in its 49-year history. It will be going to the elections without its founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, at the helm.
Buthelezi has been the face of the IFP since 1994. This may have worked for the party at some stage, but it obviously did not achieve growth in the long run. It dropped from being the second-biggest party in 1994 to the fourth in the 2018 general elections with 588,839 votes, which earned it 14 seats in parliament.
One of the criticisms against the party has been that it is seen as an organisation centred on the Zulu nation. That has not worn off, despite the party having support in provinces such Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Another debatable issue for the IFP has been its dependence on the face of its founder. The party could not put successor Velenkosini Hlabisa’s face alone on its campaign material.
Hlabisa is not new in the IFP. He served under Buthelezi for decades. He was also endorsed by the founder as his successor. But a lot of the people who attended the rally at Moses Mabhida were wearing IFP T-shirts with Buthelezi’s face on them, not Hlabisa’s.
Shouldn’t the IFP move past its former leader and grow through new leaders to honour his legacy? That is the big question the party must answer. Buthelezi was a respected but also reviled leader who commanded influence in the country’s political landscape. But he is gone. The party at some stage will have to accept that and move on.
Using the face of a new leader is not discounting the contribution of the old. Using the face of the new leader actually strengthens the party as it shows that it was not just reliant on one person for its success. This view may be rejected by many who believe that Buthelezi's face is crucial for the IFP’s success, but I repeat: he is gone.
Even the ruling ANC had to let go of its most popular face, Nelson Mandela, to enable its members and the general public to embrace new leaders and move on. It is as simple as that.
It is time for the IFP to reconsider its decision. Its critics are already suggesting that “Buthelezi is ruling from the grave”. Yes, one cannot separate the IFP from Buthelezi’s legacy, but having a new leader is the best way of honouring the one who served before.
One popular leadership author once argued that the true test of leadership is not the success of those in a position but rather what happens when they are gone. A new leader is at the helm of the party now, his face will be in the ballot papers. Nothing should stop the party from having him on its campaign material.
Putting his face on the campaign material is another way of honouring Buthelezi because Hlabisa became the leader of the IFP while Buthelezi was still alive.
The IFP should not allow any suggestions of doubt about its leader. It should boldly put him on all campaign material because he is at the helm of the organisation. I repeat, this is not to discount the contribution made by Buthelezi but to show that the baton has been passed and there is a new man who has taken it who is competent enough to lead the organisation to victory.
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