The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in KwaZulu-Natal says its success in the upcoming elections will be determined by the party’s performance in urban areas such as eThekwini and Umgungundlovu.
The party’s Premier candidate in the province Thami Ntuli says the IFP is now focusing its election campaign on predominately African National Congress (ANC) holds in order to win the province at the upcoming polls.
The party is conducting a door-to-door campaign in Inanda townships, north of Durban.
Political parties are intensifying their campaigns across the province. This past weekend, former ANC president Thabo Mbeki visited the community of Inanda during his campaign trail for the governing party.
The province’s official opposition, the IFP also took its campaign to the area. Residents say they are tired of unfulfilled promises. Crime, water cuts, and unemployment are just some of their major concerns.
“My children are unemployed; we all rely on my pension. We are sometimes forced to stay without water for weeks. I was convinced that I was not going to vote this time, but I have changed my mind because voting is the only thing that can bring about change in this area,” a resident says.
Another resident laments, “Water is our main problem here; we are also living in fear due to the high crime rate. We are going to vote because we need to see to it that services are delivered to the people here.”
The IFP says the party is showing signs of growth in urban areas where it previously struggled to attract voters.
The party says the outcomes of the recent by-elections are indicative of its potential to regain control of the province.
“The party is aware that there are many people who are no longer eager to vote due to the poor state of the government in the province, the IFP is sending a message that those people must give us a chance because they know what we were able to achieve when we were in charge of the province,” says IFP’s Ntuli.
The IFP says it wants to get well over 2 million votes in the province in the upcoming polls.
Video: 2024 Elections – IFP takes campaign to Durban North: Thami Ntuli
