Durban – ActionSA national president Herman Mashaba has backed calls to move the KwaZulu-Natal legislature back to Ulundi.
The ActionSA leader, who was in Durban on Monday to unveil the party’s premier candidate Zwakele Mncwango, announced that he was in full support of the call to move the legislature back to Ulundi. Mashaba said moving the legislature would be an honour for the late Zulu traditional prime minister and IFP founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The legislature building, which became a white elephant after the IFP lost power in 2004, was built and used by Buthelezi while he was the then KwaZulu chief minister. Mashaba instructed Mncwango to canvass other political parties to support the call.
“As part of the marching orders we are giving you will be to go out and canvass other political parties to ensure that the legislature moves to Ulundi after the next year’s general elections to honour the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi,” said Mashaba.
During the provincial memorial service for the late Buthelezi which was held in KwaMashu north of Durban two weeks ago, Mncwango made the call to the amusement of the IFP supporters and leaders at the stadium. The IFP had already stated that if it wins the province from the ANC, the province’s capital would be Ulundi again.
The call is expected to spark huge debate, especially the thousands of workers who will have to relocate back to Ulundi. When the ANC took power in 2004 and abandoned Ulundi there was an outcry from the staff who were forced to relocate with their families to start a new life in Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Some of them were forced to take early retirement, arguing that relocating with their families from Ulundi to Pietermaritzburg would be expensive and unaffordable. On the other hand, those who back the call argue that the move will boost Zululand’s economy, which was devastated by the abandonment of the legislature, but the move is also expected to paralyse Pietermaritzburg’s economy as many buildings currently occupied by government departments will be left empty.
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