The IFP has postponed its national elective conference because party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi learnt that a revolt was brewing against his preferred successor, Velenkosini Hlabisa, party sources say.
The IFP insiders told the Sunday Times that Buthelezi picked up that a faction dubbed the "Dundee caucus" was defying his nomination of Hlabisa, who is mayor of KwaHlabisa in northern KwaZulu-Natal and IFP provincial secretary, and were lobbying for party deputy president Mzamo Buthelezi to take over.
The conference had been scheduled to take place next week.
Buthelezi, who has led the party since 1975, announced last year that the party's extended national council had chosen Hlabisa to succeed him.
Sources said Mangosuthu had confronted Mzamo at least three times over the issue.
"Inkosi Mzamo has been [asked] by the president during these meetings if he wants to contest Hlabisa, because it has landed on his ears," one insider said. "Mzamo has consistently denied it and everyone has been instructed to rally behind Hlabisa."
Another source said the Dundee caucus had made their opposition to Hlabisa clear.
"At meetings … it is our culture to greet the leadership and then refer to Hlabisa as our presidential candidate, [but] the Dundee caucus don't do that."
The sources said the Dundee caucus was holding secret meetings to plot strategy.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party was aware of a meeting held in Dundee but there was no connection between this and the national elective conference.
"The persons at that meeting [have no intention to contest the presidency]," Hlengwa said.
"They came clean to the leadership about what the meeting was about … subsequently, we have engaged them and the position remains that everyone is unanimous in supporting Hlabisa."
Insiders say Mzamo is himself part of the Dundee caucus. One said he was aggrieved that "the position of deputy president was created for him but someone else was chosen to succeed Shenge [Mangosuthu]".
Hlengwa denied that Mangosuthu had confronted his deputy. "The deputy president has declared unambiguously his full support for Hlabisa," he said.
Several party members told the Sunday Times that procedural deadlines that had to be met for the national conference to take place as scheduled were missed because the Dundee caucus had intentionally undermined the processes.
Hlengwa said the conference had been postponed because requirements of the party's constitution had not been satisfied.
"It was brought to our attention that certain constitutional prescripts, in as far as nominations and elections of leaders at conference, have not been followed in terms of the constitution," he said.
"A number of branches raised that, [and] the party felt it would have been irregular to continue the conference."
Hlengwa said a new date for the conference would be set today at a national council meeting. He said Hlabisa had been nominated in an open and democratic process, and no-one else was campaigning for the post.
Mzamo had not responded to requests for comment by the time of going to press.
Hlabisa said he did not believe the postponement of the conference had anything to do with a succession battle, rather unreadiness of structures.
"As far as I know there is unanimity in the nomination that was done by the IFP leadership," he said...