Ahead of the 8 May National Elections you would do well to acquaint yourself with the Political Parties registered on the National level for the elections.
These political parties are contesting for seats in the 2019 National Assembly elections on 8 May 2019.
Please note you STILL need to go to the polls on 8 May 2019 and VOTE in person .........
Today we introduce you to: Inkatha Freedom Party- IFP
It’s easy to forget what a behemoth the IFP used to be on the local political scene. As of the 2014 elections it was still the fourth-largest party nationally, but reduced to less than half a million votes. Leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, age 90, is set to step down after the 2019 elections, but is one of just two politicians whose face will have appeared on every national ballot sheet since 1994. (The other is ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe.) The IFP wants a debate on the death penalty, an end to e-tolls and subsidised public transport for job-seekers. Though Buthelezi is long overdue his pension, the party has had two of the most dynamic young MPs in the fifth Parliament: Liezl van der Merwe and Mkhuleko Hlengwa.
The IFP exists as a political party to serve the people of South Africa, and to do so in the spirit of ubuntu/botho. Our primary purpose is to serve. It is why we exist. We contest elections and we seek power in order to serve the people by addressing their needs. We are servants, not masters, of the people.
We recognise ubuntu/botho as the foundation of all human interaction. No person is an island. Because we are who we are only through our interaction with others, we respect everyone and treat everyone with compassion and empathy, and in a manner that recognises their intrinsic human dignity.
Values guide your behaviour. They give meaning to what you do. They depict who you are and what you stand for. Values are therefore the foundation of any organisation’s policies and programmes.
The IFP has three key values. These are: Solidarity, Freedom, and Unity in Diversity. They are all interconnected. Each is associated with other, secondary values.
Solidarity
In our service to the people, the IFP will stand by those affected by poverty, unemployment, abuse, crime, violence and other social ills and discrimination. South Africa has an enormous number of people who, left to the exigencies of the market or a minimalist state, would suffer even more severe depredations than those which fate has bestowed upon them. The IFP will not stand aloof as our people suffer, but will work with them, as an expression of compassion and fraternity in providing assistance.
Freedom
We seek a South Africa in which the potential of every person to a dignified life can be realised, with integrity, within a democratic environment. Internally, we believe everyone has the right to participate in party affairs and to advance themselves so long as their activities are premised on integrity. Everyone within the party has the right to speak and to be heard, to be treated with dignity, and to stand for any office. We embrace internal democracy, transparency and accountability. On the national stage, we stand for a constitutional state in which individual rights are protected against intrusive government, in which the poor and vulnerable are assisted, and in which the autonomy of civil society is not infringed upon.
Unity in Diversity
We embrace our differences and reject the notion that we are all the same. We are equal under the law, of course, but South Africa is nonetheless made up of many different cultures, groups, races, religions, communities and peoples. None of these is more important than any other, though we do embrace Christian and other faith-based values. The IFP welcomes all into our fold. We are inclusive, we promote multiculturalism and we encourage the sharing of power among our constituents. The IFP is a home for all South Africans subscribing to our values and policies. Everyone is welcome to join with us in our great quest to make South Africa a better country.
These values reflect who we are in that they guide our conduct as a political party. They equally reflect what we aspire to for the country as a whole.
IFP Policies: http://www.ifp.org.za/our-policies/
This information is gathered from the IEC and the above party website or publicly available documents.
Click here to see ALL 2019’s registered national parties.
Alan Straton
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