The IFP has dismissed reports that it lost a huge chunk of its KwaZulu-Natal votes to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
In an interview with The Star, IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party that was dislodged as the majority party in the KZN province was the biggest winner in the province as more and more parties voted for the party in spite of the emergence of the MK Party which looks set to take over KZN as the majority party with just over 43.84% of the total vote in the province.
On Saturday, at 6.30 p.m., the IFP was at 18.21%, while the ANC had further dropped to 18.04% in KZN.
“’The IFP is one of the few parties that has grown in terms of warm bodies, which has increased in terms of the elections. So we come out of the elections as winners and continue to consolidate our gains. It is quite clear that there was a mood for change in the country. The electorate was ready for change,” he said.
Hlengwa said the IFP is generally satisfied with the performance of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) following allegations of vote rigging and system collapse.
“’We have a history of system collapse. In 1999, the IEC clocked 1 million votes, but then those numbers were revised downward on the basis that there were technical glitches. We are currently exercising high vigilance as we speak to ensure collective integrity. We will be going through the results with a fine comb to make sure the process has integrity.
“’We are awaiting the outcomes of those disputes, and once that is done, we will be able to comment. What we will not do is cast aspersions without proof and without having explored all the dispute mechanisms. Has the IEC been found wanting? Certainly, and that is why some of its officials have been dismissed, he said.
On the issue of the outcomes in KZN, Hlengwa could not be drawn to comment about whether the MK Party factor contributed to its failure to dislodge the ANC as the governing party in the province.
“’I am not sure how KZN can be characterised as the IFP stronghold because we lost power in that province 20 years ago. We are the official opposition. In this election, the IFP has demonstrated in terms of warm bodies that it is growing from the previous election in 2019. We have more votes now in terms of actual votes. More so, we have a higher percentage share, and this demonstrates the IFP growth. On the MK Party issue, I am not their spokesperson, and I cannot speculate on that,” he said.
The Star
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