VZCZCXRO9920
RR RUEHBZ RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHDU #0079/01 1980922
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170922Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL DURBAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1484
INFO RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 0001
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0003
RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0862

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DURBAN 000079 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: POLITICAL VIOLENCE, STOLEN FUNDS, PARTY CHANGES, 
PRIVITIZATION, AND REBELLION: KWAZULU NATAL ROUND-UP 
 
REF: A: DURBAN 68; B: DURBAN 50 
 
DURBAN 00000079  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  Political violence continues in KwaZulu Natal 
(KZN) amid government promises to bring stability to the 
Greytown area.  The KZN Department of Education allegedly has 
been swindled out of millions and ends up paying twice for 
school supplies.  For the first time in its history, the 
Democratic Alliance (DA) in KZN is led by a black man.  The cost 
of uShaka Marine World may be too much for the Durban tax payers 
who own it.  Members of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Youth 
Brigade push for a change in leadership and vision.  End Summary. 
 
Political Violence Continues in KZN 
 
¶2. (U) As reported in Ref A, post-election political violence 
continues in KZN.  On June 26, dozens of IFP supporters marched 
in Greytown in protest against what they claimed was the ANC's 
attempt to push the IFP out of one of its traditional 
strongholds.   Protesters vowed to fight back if ANC and IFP 
party leaders could not resolve their political differences. 
The crowd chanted "Makuliwe, Makuliwe," (let there be war) and 
one protester warned, "We haven't forgotten how to use our guns, 
and we haven't thrown them away.'  MEC (Member of Executive 
Council - like a provincial `minister') for Transport, Community 
Safety and Liaison Bheki Cele promised that political 
intolerance will not be tolerated by the police, and that the 
government will do everything in its power to bring stability to 
Greytown.   On July 11, a group of six men were murdered near 
Greytown, but police have not determined if the incident was 
politically motivated.  The leading theory is that the killings 
were the result of a family feud. 
 
KZN Department of Education (KZN DOE) Fleeced 
 
¶3. (SBU) Black Economic Empowerment entrepreneur, Jabulani 
Mabaso, has been accused of defrauding the KZN DOE of about R200 
million ($25 million).  Local media reported that Mabaso 
received a tender to supply stationery and wall maps to all 
schools in KZN, but the supplies were never delivered.  In 2008, 
the IFP alleged that the DOE had awarded the tender to Mabaso 
because he was a business partner of the husband of then 
Minister of Education, Ina Cronje.  The IFP withdrew the 
allegation and apologized to Cronje after she threatened legal 
action against the party.  No evidence has ever surfaced to 
substantiate the allegation, and Cronje has since been appointed 
the KZN MEC for Finance.  The KZN DOE has secured a new 
distributor for its stationery and wall maps, and it hopes to 
recover the money it lost by liquidating Mabaso's seized assets. 
 
KZN DA Change in Leadership 
 
¶4.  (U) Veteran politician Mike Ellis resigned as the leader of 
the DA in KZN but will remain his party's deputy chief whip in 
the national assembly.  Ellis' departure means that KZN DA 
deputy leader Sizwe Mchunu is now the provincial leader making 
him at age 31 the youngest and first black person to become a 
provincial leader of the DA.  Bio note: Mchunu was born in 
Imbali Township outside Pietermaritzburg, and was attracted to 
politics at a very young age.  In 1996, while he was a freshman 
at the then University of Natal, he was recruited to the Pan 
African Student Organization (PASO), the student movement 
affiliated to the Pan Africanist Congress.   Despite being 
elected chairman of PASO, he left the organization after a stint 
of seven months and joined the rival Democratic Students 
Society, the student wing of the then Democratic Party, which 
later gave birth to the DA.  Mchunu remained with the party and 
worked his way up to become KZN DA deputy leader in 2008. 
 
uShaka Marine World May be Privatized 
 
¶5. (U) The eThekwini municipality is considering privatizing the 
municipality-owned marine theme park to reduce the burden on the 
city's budget; uShaka Marine World is the most expensive project 
of its kind in South Africa.  ANC Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo told 
the Pol/Econ Assistant that the city is concerned about the 
growing burden on the city's residents who pay for the facility 
with their taxes.  On June 9, eThekwini municipality's executive 
committee approved a further R15 million ($1.8 million) loan for 
urgent maintenance and repairs at uShaka Marine World, 
increasing the municipality's equity in the theme park to R500 
million ($61 million). 
 
¶6. (U) All major provincial parties supported the new loan, 
although the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Minority Front 
(MF) have expressed concern over the facility's growing 
 
DURBAN 00000079  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
expenses.  `Perhaps it was time for someone with deep pockets to 
buy it from us,' said a member of the DA's executive committee. 
City Manager, Mike Sutcliffe is committed to maintaining the 
municipality's ownership of the theme part and argues that 
uShaka Marine World has become a profitable tourist attraction 
and has increased property values in the area.  Nevertheless, 
Durban Mayor Obed Mlaba has asked Sutcliffe to brief the 
executive committee on the continued benefits of owning the 
theme park. 
 
IFP Faces Youth Rebellion 
 
¶7. (U) Soon after the IFP was defeated by the ANC in the April 
general election, local newspapers reported that leaders of the 
IFP Youth Brigade (IFPYB) were demanding that the entire party 
leadership step down.  As reported in Ref B, the IFPYB puts the 
blame on party leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi for the IFP's 
poor showing in the election.  On May 18, the IFP suspended 
eight KZN IFPYB leaders, including KZN Chairperson Skhumbuzo 
Khenyeza.  IFP Secretary General Musa Zondi said at a press 
conference that the conduct of the youth amounted to a `gross 
violation of party discipline.'  He further accused the 
suspended leaders of engaging in a campaign to tarnish the IFP's 
reputation. 
 
¶8. (U) A local Zulu-language newspaper reported that IFP 
National Chairperson Zanele Magwaza-Msibi was behind the IFP 
youth revolt and that she was intent on resigning from the 
party, but she issued a press statement denying the report.  She 
did, however, concede that the party is currently undergoing a 
`rough patch following our electoral setback.'  After a 
three-day emergency meeting in mid-June, the IFPYB issued an 
apology for any harm it may have caused to the Prince's legacy. 
The IFPYB also accused the media of `untruthful coverage,' 
saying that while it is determined to transform the IFP, it 
never called for Buthelezi to step down. 
DERDERIANJ