The IFP says a lack of money is holding it back, as its eThekwini mayoral candidate, deputy transport minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, trails on about 7% in the metro.
With counting still under way in eThekwini on Friday, MK led on 40.6%, followed by the DA on 23.6%. The IFP was on 7%.
IFP deputy Secretary-General Albert Mncwango said the party was nonetheless happy with Hlengwa’s campaign.
“We took a decision as the national executive to field Mr Hlengwa as our mayoral candidate. We know his abilities. He is not a stranger to governance, and the IFP is following a policy of exposing young people to responsible positions. So we are very excited and very satisfied that Mr Hlengwa and his campaign partner did very well. They are both young people, and they laid a very good foundation for the future of the party in the Durban metro,” Mncwango said.
He said the IFP had won votes in areas where it was previously weak.
“Durban has not completed counting, and we are aware of that. However, we are following the developments very closely, and we can see that we are harvesting a lot of votes in areas that were very weak areas for us. That is what excites us even more, because these two young candidates made breakthroughs for the party in areas that were, should I say, no-go areas for us,” he said.
Asked what was stopping the IFP, one of the country’s oldest parties, from growing, Mncwango pointed to money.
“Look, money is the milk of politics. If you do not have enough resources, you will always struggle to spread your gospel and your message. That has been a major obstacle for the IFP. That is why our programmes have been very slow in expanding and making footprints in other provinces,” he said.
He claimed the IFP had made a breakthrough in Soweto.
“We have won wards in Mpumalanga, already in three municipalities. History has been made by the IFP. We have won three wards in Soweto, snatching one ward from the ANC, and that is a phenomenal achievement,” Mncwango said.
He rejected the view that the IFP was a KwaZulu-Natal party.
“That has been the propaganda all these years. But we are breaking through all those barriers now. We are winning wards outside KwaZulu-Natal. Our president led campaigns in various provinces, and the halls were full to capacity. It’s very exciting and very satisfying for the future of the party, especially for 2029. It’s the foundation from which we are going to launch ourselves in preparation for 2029,” he said.