Durban — The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal has not given up its fight to have the provincial legislature moved from Pietermaritzburg back to Ulundi.
This was revealed by Zululand District Municipality mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi at the handing-over ceremony of a computer lab at the Inkosi Mbhasobheni Primary School in Ulundi on Wednesday.
The lab, with 20 computers, internet, a scanner and a printer, was built by a local technology company as requested by the mayor as a former pupil of the school.
Buthelezi said the Ulundi area was better off because of the then KwaZulu government under Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi. He said schools such as Inkosi Mbhasobheni still existed because Inkosi Buthelezi fought against the burning down of schools during the liberation struggle.
The mayor said Inkosi Buthelezi then built a state-of-the-art legislature building, and it was important that the provincial legislature be moved back to Ulundi, arguing that it would boost economic development, especially through tourism in Zululand.
“We still want the provincial government to return the legislature to Ulundi. We had never accepted the decision to relocate the legislature to Pietermaritzburg, so we want it back here. This is going to enhance the economic development of Zululand if the legislature sitting is conducted here,” said the mayor.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said his party’s position that Pietermaritzburg must be the capital city was unchanged.
After the IFP lost power to the ANC in 2004, the governing party decided to desert the Ulundi legislature building for the Pietermaritzburg legislature building. The ANC also ordered all government departments, together with employees, to relocate to Pietermaritzburg.
Bolstered by its good showing in last year’s local government elections, the IFP has begun pushing for a return to the Ulundi legislature.
This is an indication that should it win the provincial elections in 2024, government department and legislature sittings might return to Ulundi. The legislature arena is currently used for sittings of provincial traditional leaders’ meetings.
Daily News