The Inkatha Freedom Party is a conservative political party in South Africa, which is a part of the current South African government of national unity together with the African National Congress (ANC). Although registered as a national party, it has had only minor electoral success outside its home province of KwaZulu-Natal. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who served as chief minister of KwaZulu during the Apartheid period, founded the party in 1975 and led it until 2019. He was succeeded as party president in 2019 by Velenkosini Hlabisa.
The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation system where half of the members are elected proportionally from nine provincial lists and the remaining half from national lists so as to restore proportionality.
Floor crossing was a system introduced to the post-apartheid South African political system in 2002, under which members of Parliament, members of provincial legislatures and local government councillors could change political party and take their seats with them when they did so. Floor crossing in South Africa was abolished in January 2009.
Gavin Woods was a South African politician, academic and public service activist.
The 2003 floor crossing window period in South Africa was a period of 15 days, from 21 March to 4 April 2003, in which members of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures were able to cross the floor from one political party to another without giving up their seats. The period was authorised by the passage of the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa. The amendment scheduled regular window periods in the second and fourth September after each election, but the second and fourth Septembers after the 1999 election had already passed, so it included provision for a special window period starting fifteen days after the amendment came into effect.
The South African Democratic Congress (Sadeco) was formed in 2008 by Ziba Jiyane, the founder of the National Democratic Convention (Nadeco), after he left in a dispute over leadership. Jiyane had been the Secretary-General of the Inkatha Freedom Party. The party won no seats in the 2009 general election.
Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi was a South African politician who was the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa in the cabinet of Jacob Zuma. She was also President of the National Freedom Party (NFP). Prior to being elected to Parliament, she served for nineteen years as a councillor, fifteen of those years as Mayor of the Zululand District Municipality. She was formerly chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the IFP's candidate for Premier of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2009 general election.
General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.
The council of the City of Cape Town in the Western Cape, South Africa is elected every five years by a system of mixed-member proportional representation. Half of the councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting from individual wards, while the other half are appointed from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. By-elections are held to replace the councillors elected by wards if a vacancy occurs.
Lennit Hendry Max is a South African politician, advocate and police officer who served as a Member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, as Shadow Deputy Minister of Correctional Services (2010–2014), as Member of the National Assembly (2010–2014) and as Western Cape Provincial Minister of Community Safety (2009–2010).
Mandlenkosi Sicelo Mabika is a South African politician who was first elected to the National Assembly in 2014 as a member of the National Freedom Party. He joined the Democratic Alliance in March 2019 and was re-elected to the National Assembly at that year's election in May.
Linda Xolelwa Hlobisile Hlongwa-Madlala is a South African politician who has served in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature since 2005. She was a member of the National Democratic Convention until 15 September 2007, when she defected to the African National Congress (ANC) during the legislature's floor-crossing period. Since then she has represented the ANC in the legislature; most recently, she was re-elected to her seat in the 2014 general election, ranked 36th on the ANC's provincial party list, and in the 2019 general election, ranked 37th. She is married to Cyril Madlala, a journalist and formerly a spin doctor for the provincial government.
Makhosazana Mpho Mdlalose is a South African politician who has served in the National Assembly and KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, variously representing the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the National Democratic Convention (Nadeco), and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Mahomed Farouk Cassim is a South African politician who served in the National Assembly and in the apartheid-era House of Delegates. After leaving the National Assembly in 2003, he joined the Congress of the People (COPE) and represented COPE as a local councillor in the City of Cape Town.
Lindumusa Bekizitha Gabriel Ndabandaba is a retired South African politician and academic who served in the National Assembly and KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature from 1999 to 2014. He represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) until 2003, when he crossed the floor to the African National Congress (ANC).
Senzo Brian Mfayela is a South African businessman and former politician who represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1999. He is the chief executive officer of Mangosuthu Buthelezi's Buthelezi Foundation.
Bonginkosi Christopher Ngiba is a South African politician who represented the KwaZulu-Natal constituency in the National Assembly from 2003 to 2009. He was elected as a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) but crossed the floor to the National Democratic Convention (Nadeco) in September 2005. Near the end of the legislative term, in January 2009, he resigned from his seat and defected to the Congress of the People.
Mzikayise Vincent Ngema is a South African politician who served in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2009. He was elected as a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) but crossed the floor to the National Democratic Convention (Nadeco) in September 2005. He was elected as secretary-general of Nadeco in April 2007.
Leonardus Kolbé "Len" Joubert is a South African politician who served in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009. He was a member of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) until September 2005, when he crossed the floor to the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Martin Stephens is a South African politician who served in the National Assembly from 2004 to 2009. He was the finance spokesperson for the United Democratic Movement (UDM) until September 2005, when he crossed the floor to the Democratic Alliance (DA). He formerly represented the United Party in the apartheid-era House of Assembly.
