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SA Election 2009 Special Report
NEWS
ANC holding key NEC meeting
The ANC is holding its quarterly NEC meeting, to discuss the outcome of the elections and how to implement its election manifesto.
FEATURES
Cabinet to tackle Zuma pledges
Analysts say the new Cabinet matches President Jacob Zuma's pledges to smash poverty and boost development, but enormous challenges remain.
MULTIMEDIA
INTERACTIVE
On July 14 1990 at a special conference in Ulundi the Inkatha Freedom Party came into being. Mangosuthu Buthelezi was unanimously elected President of the IFP. Its forerunner, The Inkatha National Cultural Liberation Movement, was founded by Buthelezi in 1975 had some of its roots in the cultural organisation, "Inkatha", established by King Solomon in the 1920s. The IFP received the third-highest number of votes in the 2004 national elections.
Source: (http://www.ifp.org.za)
Website: www.ifp.org.za
Telephone: 031 365 1300
E-mail: newsroom@ifp.org.za
Physical address: IFP Head Office, 2 Durban Club Place, Durban
Postal address: PO Box 4432, Durbanm 4000
More stories on IFP: News24 Search
1994 Election: 10.54% | 2 058 294 votes
1999 Election: 8.58% | 1 371 477 votes
2004 Election: 6.97% | 1 088 664 votes
ELECTION 2009 INFO
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PARTY LEADERS
Mangosuthu Buthelezi
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was born in Mahlabathini, Natal, on 27 August 1928. He is the son of Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi and Princess Magogo ka Dinuzulu, the sister of Zulu King Solomon ka Dinuzulu.
After completing a university degree at the University of Fort Hare in 1950, Buthelezi opted for a legal career which was cut short when he became Inkosi (Chief) of the large Buthelezi clan in 1953. In 1970, Buthelezi was asked by the KwaZulu Assembly to accept the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Zulu Territorial Authority, a position to which he was unanimously elected by members of that body, despite having for some time succeeded in delaying the imposition of this structure by the South African Government.
In 1972, Buthelezi became Chief Executive Councillor to the KwaZulu Legislative Assembly and from 1976 to April 1994 was the Chief Minister of KwaZulu. His steadfast resistance to be honey-trapped by the apartheid regime and accept independence for KwaZulu rendered grand apartheid untenable as former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, FW de Klerk was later to testify to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
In 1975, Buthelezi founded Inkatha, a cultural liberation organisation, based on the philosophy of self-help and self-reliance. In the 1980s his powerful advocacy of universal liberties and free enterprise drew him close to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
In April 1994, Buthelezi became South Africa's first post-apartheid Minister of Home Affairs and was appointed Acting President many times. In and out of the cabinet, Buthelezi advocated efficient and transparent governance, decentralised administration and liberalisation of the economy. At Home Affairs he promoted immigration reform that placed emphasis on skilled immigrants to boost the South African economy.
Prince Buthelezi currently leads the Inkatha Freedom Party, the second largest black opposition party in South Africa. He is also the Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu nation and the Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders.
Information supplied by the IFP
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