The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), which is headed for its first major elections without its lifelong president Mangosuthu Buthelezi, is grappling with an outstanding question on the Multi-Party Charter (MPC).

The Inkatha Freedom Party Youth Brigade (IFPYB) has criticised the charter, which includes other political parties and is led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in a pact that seeks to unseat the African National Congress (ANC) and block the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from ascending to power in a coalition agreement after the 2024 general elections. 

News24 understands that the IFP's participation in the Multi-Party Charter For South Africa (MPC) was up for debate and the party's youth structure was against the MPC's "exclusion clause" that forces parties not to work with the EFF.

The party is hosting a two-day policy conference in Empangeni near Richards Bay.

According to well-placed sources, some quarters in the IFPYB are completely against parts of the MPC.

Others are said to have asked questions about the charter, with emphasis being chiefly on how the MPC will affect the party's identity.

One of the main concerns relates to the preamble to the MPC's seventh point, titled "declaration of intent".

This point, says the MPC, "will not entertain any working arrangement or co-governing agreements with the ANC, EFF or any rival formations, and we will not vote for any office bearers of the ANC and EFF – nominated either directly or indirectly – at any inaugural meetings of the National Assembly, National Council of Provinces, and provincial legislatures". 

In an interview with News24 about the party's differences with the youth brigade on the MPC, IFP deputy president Prince Mzamo Buthelezi said the brigade had only "drawn our attention" to say the party's commitment to that clause is something that needs to be corrected.

Buthelezi said: 

The youth brigade, as members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), identified an omission to say, 'No, as much as we identify with these principles, this number seven speaks to something that we've taken a decision to say we shall never be exclusionary'. Hence therefore it has to be corrected as such. That is why the NEC then sat to acknowledge that to say: 'You're correct to say this is going against our policy.'

He said there were no talks that still needed finalising on the issue, adding that they're "in agreement" that the clause must be corrected to include other parties.

"The only thing that is left now is for the matter to be finalised in the charter," Buthelezi said.

He said maybe in the next MPC they would receive feedback on their "feeling" if they say, "We have no issue with the EFF in terms of open discussions."

Asked if they are concerned about bumping heads with the DA over its rigid stance on the EFF, he said: "That is not a problem. It doesn't concern us. As the IFP, we're a party [in] our own right. We have our own constituency."

He stressed that the IFP won't lose its identity and that the MPC isn't a political party.

On how they're repositioning the IFP after Buthelezi's death, Mzamo Buthelezi said they were using the momentum of the party in the municipal and by-elections. 

"We are building on the foundations as led by the founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. We need to entrench ourselves on the core values that umntwana [Buthelezi] stood for," he said. 

Asked who would be on the provincial ballot, he said that question would be addressed "when the time comes".

Speaking to News24, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said those who raised the matter had done so on the wrong platform and that the issue has now died down.

He said there was no push back from the IFPYB on the MPC. He said some individuals previously raised questions about the MPC.

He said it would be irresponsible of party members to raise the matter elsewhere other than on the correct internal platform.

On the MPC's presidency candidacy question, Hlabisa said they are not going into coalition agreements for positions.