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Hlabisa says mature leaders can keep coalitions working

Published

Ongoing: Elections Hot

IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa told an Inkatha Freedom Party rally at Esikhawini stadium near Richards Bay that the IFP-led coalition in the uMhlathuze Municipality shows coalitions can succeed. He spoke ahead of the local government elections.

Hlabisa said coalitions fail when the wrong people lead them. He said mature leadership sustains coalitions, ensures stability and takes decisions that speed up service delivery.

He said failing coalition governments across South Africa have weakened service delivery. He called uMhlathuze a typical example that the IFP will use as a model case. In his words: "If you deploy matured people in a coalition government they can sustain coalition".

Key facts

Who
Velenkosini Hlabisa (President of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)); Inkatha Freedom Party (political party holding the rally; leads the uMhlathuze coalition government)
What
Speaking at an Inkatha Freedom Party rally at Esikhawini stadium near Richards Bay, Hlabisa argued that coalition governments can succeed if led by mature individuals, pointing to the IFP-led coalition in the uMhlathuze Municipality.
When
24 October 2026
Where
Esikhawini, Richards Bay, uMhlathuze Municipality
Status
Reported

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