Johannesburg- One of the biggest fears of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is that corruption has thrust down such deep roots that the governing party bosses will not be able to eradicate it from their midst, even if they were willing to deal with it aggressively.
It stands in the way between people and their freedom.
In an interview with Sunday World this week, Buthelezi, who among his many public roles includes being the leader of the IFP in the national assembly and traditional prime minister to the AmaZulu nation, poured his heart out on the land question, his contentious legacy, and the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) talks.
He also raised grave concerns on what he calls the relentless efforts by the current cohorts of ANC leaders who want to remove his name from the annals of history. The nonagenarian, who is 93 years old, spoke to this paper as he recuperates at his ancestral home of KwaPhindangene in eMahlabathini, the heartland of KwaZulu-Natal, following his discharge from hospital where he was admitted for a medical check-up.
The elder statesman is the only prominent political leader who served both under the apartheid regime and when the country was ushered into the democratic dispensation underpinned by free and fair elections.
On the divisive land debate, Buthelezi said calls for an amendment to the constitution were misplaced, saying the IFP believes that section 25 of the constitution, as it is currently framed, is broad enough to justify that it may be just and equitable in a specific case for nominal compensation to be paid on expropriation.
“Ownership of land is one of the most fundamental and emotional issues in South Africa. It is tied to a complex history of colonialism and conquest. There is no doubt that land reform should have been a priority of the government from day one. Instead, the programme of land reform has been excruciatingly slow and grossly abused by corrupt officials, which has only deepened divisions between our people,” said Buthelezi.
The IFP founder and its president emeritus added that when it came to communal land, held under the Ingonyama Trust, the government should encourage and facilitate productive land use.
“This land is already in the hands of the people and should not be considered for expropriation. The most important thing is to encourage and facilitate productive land use, so that we can ensure food security.”
The Ingonyama Trust is a product of a negotiated settlement between the IFP and the National Party during South Africa’s transition to the democratic dispensation. It was conceived to manage land, which was owned by the then KwaZulu government.
Its sole trustee is Ingonyama, a reference to the AmaZulu king. The entity administers the land on behalf of communities mainly under tribal authorities in the province. He looked back at the Codesa, a forum formed in October 1991 comprising anti-apartheid organisations and representation from the outgoing National Party who were deliberating on a new path that the country had to take.
The Codesa negotiations continue to endure cold reception and rebuke from various segments of the society with its detractors saying it was a raw deal for the historically disadvantaged black community. At the heart of the discord is a view that the black majority continue to languish in poverty because they only attained political freedom while the economy was kept in the hands of predominantly whites.
On this sore point, Buthelezi blamed the ANC’s influential alliance partners, saying the failure to adopt the principles of a free-market economy in the early stages of democracy is what led to the economic quagmire faced by the majority.
He also pointed to weak leadership and rampant corruption as key factors that stifle economic progress. “Unfortunately, their alliance partners remained influential, and every sound economic plan adopted by the government was subsequently abandoned to pacify Cosatu and the SACP. The RDP, Gear, Asgisa and the NDP,” said Buthelezi.
Buthelezi, who is known to hold back no punches and shoot from the hip, also took time to address his love-hate relationship with the ruling party.
“There were undoubtedly leaders in the ANC who knew how much I was doing for South Africa and for our cause, because I was part of the ANC and followed the instructions of my leaders, including Inkosi Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo. But many of those who knew and recognised my legacy are gone,” explained Buthelezi, adding that if these hostilities between the governing party and the IFP were not addressed, it would be another missed opportunity for the two political foes to mend relations.
Buthelezi also said the country was not moving fast enough towards creating social and economic justice. Gender-based violence was not being addressed with the necessary urgency, saying corruption was a ticking bomb.
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