By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
The National Freedom Party (NFP) launched its manifesto in Ulundi, in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the national and provicial elections.
The party currently has one seat in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature and the National Assembly.
To increase its representation, it must first woo voters.
The party has seen a decline due to internal squabbles and the death of its founder, Zanele KaMagwaza-Msibi.
Delivering his manifesto launch speech on, party president Ivin Barnes first praised the work of KaMagwaza-Msibi, promising to carry forward her plans and believes.
“Today, we stand on the precipice of history, gathered here in Ulundi, the heartland of our movement.
“I am filled with pride and joy, feeling the spirit of Kamagwaza-Msibi saying we should go forth and never look back.
The path we travel is drawn by her footsteps. May her soul rest in peace. Her spirit for freedom and equality is guiding us and we remain steadfast to those principles,” said Barnes.
Barnes said his party is guided by Marxist revolutionary and ex-president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara.
“We embrace the wisdom of Sankara, looking to the past to guide us as we strive to create a truly African Union rooted in the values and customs of our people.
“NFP seeks to restore what was violently taken away from our people and reclaim our humanity and rightful place in our land.
“We envision a South Africa that looks and feels like an African country. Let’s stop divisions along tribal lines, there is no foreigner in this country, we are all Africans.”
Barnes said his party promises job creation, access to education, industrialisation, strong traditional leadership and good governance.
He identified corruption, racism, crime, gender-based violence, the neglect of rural communities, slow service delivery and the lack of land re-distribution as the overarching challenges in the country.
“While some of these issues need a total overhaul of how the State is run, others happen because of an inability to govern.
“We have a problem of [ANC] cadre development where inexperienced and unqualified people are hired to run government.
“Our commitment to South Africans is that we will work hand in hand to achieve in priority areas in the next five years,” Barnes said.
NFP is a breakaway of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Recent factional disputes and squabbles saw members dump the party.