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IFP leader Hlabisa denies coalition talks with MK Party

Published Last updated

Speaking on the campaign trail in Kliptown, Soweto, on Tuesday, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said the party will tackle undocumented immigration "very aggressively". He said undocumented migrants must be taken back to their countries.

Hlabisa said no coalition negotiations have started. Coalitions are a reality, he said, and the IFP will discuss them after the election results. He said the IFP will contest the elections alone, not in a pact.

A single unnamed source said the IFP recently held preliminary talks with the MK Party about possible coalitions. Hlabisa rejected this, saying: "There are no negotiations that have started – none!"

On immigration, Hlabisa said foreign nationals without the required documents must leave the country. He said this would keep services for South Africans. He also said asylum seekers should only be people fleeing from neighbouring countries.

Hlabisa also defended KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, who called for the army to be deployed. Hlabisa said Ntuli was correctly responding to a situation and making sure there is no violence.

Key facts

Who
Velenkosini Hlabisa (IFP president and cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister); Mduduzi Myeza (IFP Inkosi LangaLibalele Mayor); Sizwe Sikhakhane (IFP eThekwini deputy mayoral candidate); Thami Ntuli (KwaZulu-Natal Premier)
What
Hlabisa, campaigning in Kliptown, Soweto, doubled down on the IFP's immigration stance, saying undocumented migrants must be taken back to their countries. He also denied that the IFP had begun coalition negotiations with the MK Party and said the IFP would contest the elections alone.
When
20 October 2026
Where
Kliptown, Soweto, KwaZulu-Natal
Status
Reported

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