THE ruling National Party (NP) of South Africa and the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) seem to have taken advantage of the break in the Codesa talks to develop their small parties into truly national parties.
The Inkatha Freedom Party seems to have centred its recruitment on whites so that it can claim to be a non-racial party as opposed to an ethnic-based political movement.
It has so far successfully recruited supporters from Johannesburg’s northen surbubs and is concentrating its effors in the coastal resort of Fish Hoek south of Cape Town. The area is also a stronghold of the rightwing AWB (Afrikaaner Weerstandsbeweeging). It has outstanding white supporters like spokesperson Suzanne Vos and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s adviser Rowley Arenstein.
The National Party has also been working in the Cape Town region where it has been recruiting Coloureds. “Brown Nats” are now firmly established in Mitchell Plains. The party is now moving into black townships where it is trying to win the hearts of leading members of the black community and will probably like to be seen as the only authority that can stem the endemic violence that is ravaging black settlements.
The majority African National Congress (ANC), on the other hand seems to have won considerable political confidence when it successfully organised the two-day stay-away at the beginning of this month.
Observers say the ANC did not only demonstrate that it had massive support among the black majority by staging perhaps the biggest protest ever but must also have won the hearts of many employers since the stay–away was on basis of no work no pay. These observers say this must have been quite a relief to most industries which are carrying a lot of excess stocks because of recession.
The success of the stay-away was also a major victory for the ANC against the Inkatha which had vowed that it would break the strike. Observers also say the success may have gained the ANC a few points against its main rival, the Pan African Congress (PAC).
Although the PAC was opposed to the stay-away because of its stance against the present Codesa talks, its opposition to the protest appeared to put it on the side of the government and Inkatha which were opposed to the stay-away.
This must have heavily impacted on the PAC which has since started talks with the government. PAC leaders will be at pains to convince the militant youths in South Africa that they now want to entre into negotiations but on their own terms when they failed to rally with the militants when they staged the two-day protest.
By now entering into the game, the PAC could also stall the negotiations which would work well for the National Party as on one hand it will be building its own strength and on the other hand it can seek and probably get much needed aid as it can claim to be negotiating in good faith. The split within the black political movements would be to the NP’s advantage as it would prolong the status quo.
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