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DE RUEHDU #0014/01 0570950
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260950Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL DURBAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1562
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0947

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DURBAN 000014 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF/S; INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: MURDER OF FORMER IFP SUPPORTER THWARTS ANC HOPE FOR A LOCAL 
VICTORY IN KZN 
 
REF: A. A 09 Durban 50 
     ¶B. B 09 Durban 79 
 
DURBAN 00000014  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Three Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) members 
have been arrested for the murder of a councilor who was 
expected to cast a deciding vote that would end the IFP's 
majority in the Amajuba District Municipality.  This incident 
reveals the ongoing power struggle between the IFP and the 
African National Congress (ANC) and the former's sense of 
desperation as it continues to lose political ground in its 
remaining strongholds.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Amajuba district municipality in northwestern 
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has been fiercely contested by the IFP and 
ANC for years.   The IFP is popular in rural parts of the 
municipality, but the ANC enjoys greater support in urban areas. 
 The IFP initially gained control of the municipality when the 
first transitional local government authority was established in 
¶1994.  By the time of the 2006 local government elections, 
however, the IFP had lost significant political ground and lost 
control of the Amajuba District Municipality to the ANC (Ref A). 
 The margin of victory was so thin, however, that the ANC needed 
the support of the National Democratic Convention (NADECO, a 
splinter group from the IFP) to install its mayor and executive 
committee. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) In early 2008, however, then leader of NADECO Ziba 
Jiyane (a former National Chairperson of the IFP) fell out of 
favor with ANC provincial leaders and convinced his party to 
switch back is support to the IFP.  Working with representatives 
from the Democratic Alliance (DA), the IFP ousted then ANC 
Amajuba Mayor Vincent Mabuyakhulu and replaced him with IFP 
Mayor Mkhulu Mlangeni by a margin of 13 to 12 votes. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The IFP's municipal control was threatened in mid 2008 
when NADECO split and formed the Federal Congress (FEDCON) and 
South African Democratic Congress (SADECO).  FEDCON sided with 
the IFP while SADECO aligned itself with the ANC.  With FEDCON's 
support, however, the IFP managed to hang on to control of the 
municipality. 
 
 
 
BACK TO THE ANC 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) In November 2009, the ANC defeated the IFP in the 
November 2009 Amajuba bi-elections.  Knowing that the ANC would 
immediately oust the IFP's mayor, Amajuba District Municipal 
Speaker Peter Croft and IFP-aligned council member refused to 
convene any further municipal meetings.  The ANC went to court 
and forced the speaker to schedule a meeting for January 16. 
 
 
 
CRITICAL VOTE THWARTED 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  On January 14, Newcastle Municipal Councilor Thenjiwe 
Buthelezi and FEDCON member was murdered in her home; she was 
expected to vote against the IFP and in support of the ANC's 
vote of no confidence of Mayor Mlangeni.   Buthelezi had 
historically supported the IFP but recently changed her 
allegiance, thereby threatening to end the IFP's control of the 
municipality, Regional ANC Chairperson Arthur Zwane told local 
media.  FEDCON tried for months to fire Buthelezi and other 
FEDCON councilors who were suspected of planning to change their 
allegiances, according to Zwane. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) FEDCON Amajuba District Chairperson and Amajuba 
councilor Jerry Sibiya told Pol/Econ Assistant on February 16 
that FEDCON `has a standing decision to support the IFP' but 
councilor Buthelezi `violated that decision' and the party was 
 
DURBAN 00000014  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
about to replace her in the municipality.  Sibiya refused to 
speculate about the motive for Buthelezi's killing but said he 
believes it is linked to the on-going political tension in the 
area. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Three IFP members, one of whom is an Amajuba 
councilor, have been arrested and charged with the murder of 
Buthelezi.   Police Spokesperson Phindile Radebe told Pol/Econ 
Assistant on January 28 that the police believe the killing of 
Buthelezi was politically motivated and is linked to the ongoing 
IFP/ANC struggle for the control of the Amajuba municipality. 
On January 27, local IFP Amajuba District Organizer Jabu Mabaso 
told Pol/Econ Assistant that the IFP `distances itself from the 
killing of Buthelezi' and denied that its members were involved. 
  Mabaso accused the police of being biased in their 
investigation and of being `political instruments used by the 
ANC to topple the IFP in the municipality.   When asked about 
the three arrested men, Mabaso and Sibiya confirmed separately 
to Pol/Econ assistant their IFP membership, but again denied 
that the men or the party had anything to do with Buthelezi's 
murder. 
 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Acting ANC Newcastle Mayor Afzul Rehman (who falls 
under the Amajuba District Municipality) on January 28 told 
Pol/Econ Assistant that he believes Buthelezi was killed because 
she planned to vote with the ANC.  `There is a battle for power 
in Amajuba and people will do anything to gain it,' Rehman said. 
  In a January 24 statement, MEC (Member of Executive Committee, 
like a `provincial minister') for Transport, Community Safety 
and Liaison Willies Mchunu condemned the `despicable' murder of 
Buthelezi.   Mchunu formed a provincial political violence task 
team to investigate Buthelezi's murder and deployed members of a 
public order policing unit to monitor the political situation in 
the Amajuba District Municipality. 
 
 
 
TEMPORARY CONTROL 
 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) On January 29, Buthelezi's vacant council seat was 
filled by IFP-friendly FEDCON member Joseph Zulu.  The ANC's no 
confidence vote of Mayor Mlangeni was subsequently defeated, but 
the ANC was able to oust the council's speaker, an IFP-aligned 
member of the DA.  The ANC is expected to continue its efforts 
to take over the municipality. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Unable to defeat the ANC at the provincial level, 
desperate IFP members seem resolved to hold off the ANC in the 
party's remaining strongholds by any means necessary (Ref B). 
That resolve, however, has not carried over into service 
delivery - the true reason the IFP continues to lose power.   A 
sense of political entitlement has gripped the minds of many 
local IFP leaders, who have lost sight of the fact that voters 
want their elected officials to improve their lives, not to 
waste time on political posturing. 
DERDERIAN