As unfortunate as yesterday's events at Nongoma are, they cannot be viewed in isolation but within a broader context of ongoing political intolerance in KwaZulu-Natal.
The hostilities between the two major political forces in the province, the IFP and the ANC have claimed approximately 20,000 casualties between mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Notable among the victims are 400 IFP leaders whose deaths have gone unexplained due to the TRC's refusal to investigate the IFP's side of the story.
The politically motivated hostilities have not ceased since the high point in mid-1990s. The most recent victims of ongoing political violence in KwaZulu-Natal are the IFP branch chairperson at Jacobs Hostel Mr Mthethwa and constituency chairperson of IFPYB Mr Dube at the Big Five Municipality.
The Sunday events at Nongoma go as far back as the 1993 Shell House massacre for which the ANC leadership has since claimed responsibility.
A number of victims of that massacre actually came from Nongoma. The memories of the massacre were alive at Nongoma yesterday as the local people chanted "Shell House".
The IFP wishes to make it clear that we unequivocally condemn the most recent incidents at Nongoma. Such behaviour has no place in a democratic society we have all striven to build since 1994. Such behaviour is particularly deplorable at election time.
The alleged clashes between ANC and IFP supporters were in fact clashes between IFP supporters and the police who brutalized the public without provocation at the instruction of MEC for Community Safety and Liaison Mr Bheki Cele who was on site in Nongoma yesterday.
IFP supporters were summarily tear-gassed and shot at with rubber bullets without provocation when they attempted to access their election campaign destination on foot.
The clashes between IFP supporters and the SAPS would never have happened, had it not been for the gross interference on the part of MEC Cele in the work of the SAPS.
The IFP has opened cases of damage to property against the SAPS. We are also calling on the national Minister of Safety and Security Mr Nathi Mthethwa to prevent the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Community Safety and Liaison from interfering in policing in the province and from exceeding his constitutional authority.
MEC Cele has no constitutional authority to order police to do anything. His powers are clearly spelt out in Section 206 (3) of the Constitution. However, he has a long history of treating the SAPS as if they were his private fiefdom.
It must also be remembered that MEC Cele is primarily a political activist and his actions at scenes of conflict are notoriously provocative. It is time the national Minister called him to order.
The MEC's political party at large is also to blame. The ANC similarly organized a counter-show to sabotage a COPE election campaign event in the Eastern Cape in January.
In conclusion, the IFP wishes to emphasize that we are committed to the democratic principle of a free and fair election which is characterized by unhindered political activity.
Statement issued by the Inkatha Freedom Party, February 2 2009
