IFP WELCOMES JUDGEMENT IN ITS FAVOUR IN 'VZ' MATTER

The IFP has welcomed today's judgement by the Pietermaritzburg High Court which has dismissed with cost the applications brought against the party by its National Chairperson Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi and her associates.

"We have been vindicated. We have never had any doubt that the court would dismiss the applications brought against us by kaMagwaza-Msibi and her associates among the so-called ‘Friends of VZ' since the grounds for these applications carried no substance," said IFP Secretary-General and the party's national spokesperson Reverend Musa Zondi MP.

The IFP views the judgement in its favour not only as a vindication of its own principles but also as a closure in the painful rift between the two feuding factions within the party. "We wish to extend an olive branch to all members of the IFP who have been misled by the argument of the National Chairperson and the ‘Friends of VZ' that has now formally been dismissed by a court of law," said Rev. Zondi.

The IFP wishes to put aside the differences with the Friends of VZ and focus on the renewal of party unity and respect for the party constitution. "Our immediate goal today is to start recovering the lost ground ahead of the 2011 local government elections and contest these elections as one organisation with one leader," said Rev. Zondi.

The IFP believes that the High Court judgement has reasserted the notion that the IFP is one organisation with one leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, whose legacy, wisdom and continued stewardship are vital to its survival as a viable political force in the pursuit of democracy in South Africa.

Issued by the Inkatha Freedom Party, January 17 2011

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