South Africa: Name Changes Spark Highway Protest By Center-Right Zulu Nationalists

Is the ANC trying to erase Buthelezi from the public square?

As regular Booker Rising readers should know, Mangosuthu Buthelezi heads up the Inkatha Freedom Party. From The New Age (South Africa), about the center-right, Zulu-nationalist party: "Tempers flared up again between the ANC [African National Congress] and IFP following proposals to rename Mangosuthu Highway and the Mangosuthu University of Technology after ANC stalwarts. Suggestions to rename the highway after human rights lawyer and ANC activist Griffiths Mxenge had been put on hold in 2010 after both parties agreed that the matter was too sensitive."

The ANC's latest action caused a highway protest over the weekend: "The IFP yesterday said they were surprised the matter had been brought up again by the ruling party. The ANC has also proposed that Mangosuthu University of Technology be named after Moses Kotane. Angered by the latest proposals, IFP members blocked the highway over the weekend in protest."

The article continues about the IFP's threats of more protests: "[IFP spokesperson Joshua] Mazibuko said the ANC responded [to the IFP's draft reconciliation proposal, at the ANC's request] by saying the IFP had raised too many issues. 'We only heard on the radio that the names have been changed and that angered our people. The only devil between our relationship with the ANC is the way they are handling issues. It is clear the ANC is determined to remove the name of Mangosuthu from the history of the country. It is as if they are on a mission to erase his contribution in the struggle for liberation. Mazibuko said the IFP would engage with the ANC yet again on this issue. 'We believe in negotiations but if we fail, we will mobilise our people to stage mass protests,' Mazibuko said."