Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)

Founded: 1975.

The Inkatha Freedom Party is a South African political party founded in 1975 and led by Velenkosini Hlabisa. Its 13-point 2024 national and provincial manifesto covers jobs, crime and corruption, migration, energy, education, health, housing, infrastructure, traditional leadership, land, the environment and social grants; for the 2026 local government elections it campaigns on a five-point manifesto covering jobs, basic services, traditional and Khoi-San leadership, clean governance, and women, youth and persons with disabilities. The party describes its values as solidarity, freedom and unity in diversity, grounded in ubuntu/botho.

Official website: https://ifp.org.za/

Not yet reviewed by a human. These positions were placed by reading the sources below; each one links to the document it came from.

15 of 15 axes have a cited position. Axes without a published position are marked as such and are never scored.

Positions

Economy: state or market — +1.00

State-led: the state owns or directs key industries, sets prices and plans investment.Market-led: private ownership, deregulation, lower taxes and a smaller state.

Leaning towards: market-led: private ownership, deregulation, lower taxes and a smaller state.

The IFP champions inclusive, market-led economic policies that empower all South Africans and contribute to the country’s overall economic growth and development.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Get You Working (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Land reform and expropriation — -0.50

Expropriation without compensation and state custodianship of land.Strong property rights; redistribution only through willing-buyer/willing-seller and the courts.

Between the two poles

Continue to support the policy of land expropriation with reasonable compensation.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Access to Land: Trust Us for a Place for You and Your Family (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

BEE and race-based redress — +1.00

Race-based redress expanded: BEE, employment equity and ownership targets enforced.Race-based redress phased out or replaced by non-racial, class-based or need-based measures.

Leaning towards: race-based redress phased out or replaced by non-racial, class-based or need-based measures.

Whilst acknowledging and fully supporting the redress as intended by B-BBEE, the IFP insists on seeing meritocracy being one of the main considerations for appointments in the public service and in the parastatals. ... In essence, we as the IFP support this motion.

Debate by Hon. P. Govender on the Scrapping of the Affirmative Action Policy (party_document, 2023-07-27; accessed 2026-10-18)

Labour market — +1.00

Strong worker protection: higher minimum wages, collective bargaining, limits on labour broking and dismissal.Flexible labour market: easier hiring and dismissal, fewer statutory protections, incentives for employers.

Leaning towards: flexible labour market: easier hiring and dismissal, fewer statutory protections, incentives for employers.

Overhaul restrictive labour legislation that impedes job creation.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Get You Working (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Healthcare and NHI — -0.75

Universal public health care: a publicly funded and publicly provided National Health Insurance with a smaller private sector.Private provision: medical schemes and market competition carry most of the system, with a smaller public role.

Leaning towards: universal public health care: a publicly funded and publicly provided national health insurance with a smaller private sector.

Champion universal health coverage. Everyone in South Africa must have equal access to equitable, accessible, quality, state-sponsored health services.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us for Help When You Need It (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Education — -1.00

State-directed schooling: a central curriculum, expanded free public education and tighter regulation of independent schools.Parental choice: independent schools, charter-type models and market mechanisms in education.

Leaning towards: state-directed schooling: a central curriculum, expanded free public education and tighter regulation of independent schools.

The IFP believes in free, equitable and quality basic education for all, and state-sponsored higher education for poor and low-income families to address the inequalities of the past.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Education: Trust Us to Equip and Empower You (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Crime and policing — -1.50

Enforcement-first: more police and soldiers on the streets, harsher sentences, fewer procedural limits on the state.Prevention-first: community policing, restorative justice, and civil-liberties safeguards.

Enforcement-first: more police and soldiers on the streets, harsher sentences, fewer procedural limits on the state.

Open a national debate on the reinstatement of the death penalty to deter violent crimes. ... Deploy the SANDF to communities where social ills, crime and gangsterism are rife.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Keep You Safe (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Immigration — -1.75

Restrictive: tighter borders, limits on foreign nationals, deportation of undocumented migrants.Open: freer movement, rights for migrants, and regional integration.

Restrictive: tighter borders, limits on foreign nationals, deportation of undocumented migrants.

The IFP’s position is that, while fairness is necessary, illegal migrants are lawbreakers who pose a threat to the safety and security of the State, while placing a heavy strain on South Africa’s resources.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Put South Africa First (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Energy and climate — +1.25

Rapid decarbonisation: coal phase-out, renewable generation and climate commitments prioritised.Energy security first: continued coal, gas or nuclear generation and a slower transition.

Leaning towards: energy security first: continued coal, gas or nuclear generation and a slower transition.

Maintain coal production, acknowledging that coal remains a key source of energy. ... Ensure that nuclear energy remains part of the mix, in the hands of the State.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us for a Secure Energy Future (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Federalism and devolution — +1.50

Centralised: a unitary state where national government sets policy and lower tiers have limited discretion.Devolved or federal: more powers, budgets and discretion for provinces and municipalities.

Leaning towards: devolved or federal: more powers, budgets and discretion for provinces and municipalities.

Responsibility for ensuring delivery should be devolved to the lowest appropriate and competent level of government. ... Provinces and local communities should be allowed to develop an education dispensation and school model best suited to their own needs.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us for Help When You Need It; Education: Trust Us to Equip and Empower You (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Traditional leadership — -2.00

Expanded role: traditional leaders hold formal powers over governance, land and customary law.Limited role: elected structures and individual constitutional rights take precedence over customary authority.

Expanded role: traditional leaders hold formal powers over governance, land and customary law.

The IFP has consistently placed traditional leadership at the center of our local governance strategy. ... Champion the amendment of Chapters 7 and 12 of the Constitution to spell out the role, powers and functions of traditional leaders.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Respect Traditional Structures (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Social values — +0.50

Conservative: law reflects religious or traditional morality, with narrower reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.Liberal: secular law, with expanded gender, reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.

Between the two poles

These include human dignity, equality, and freedom, and these rights apply to all South Africans, without discrimination, regardless of their race, gender, colour, culture, language, disability, or sexual orientation.

Human Rights Day 2023 (party_document, 2023-03-21; accessed 2026-10-18)

Foreign policy — -0.75

Non-aligned and Global South: closer ties with BRICS, Russia, China and Palestine, with distance from Western powers.Western-aligned: closer ties with the United States, the European Union and other liberal democracies.

Leaning towards: non-aligned and global south: closer ties with brics, russia, china and palestine, with distance from western powers.

The IFP therefore calls on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to urgently clarify, in this House, what concrete diplomatic initiatives South Africa is actively pursuing through the United Nations General Assembly, the African Union Peace and Security Council, and other available multilateral platforms with respect to this crisis, and how our government intends to use its voice to advance the cessation of hostilities rather than merely to signal alignment with any geopolitical bloc.

Debate on Urgent Matter of National Public Importance (party_document, 2026-03-19; accessed 2026-10-18)

Anti-corruption and governance — -1.00

Expanded oversight: independent anti-corruption bodies with stronger investigative powers, asset forfeiture and procurement transparency.Smaller state machinery: fewer new bodies and regulations, with corruption handled through existing criminal law and the courts.

Leaning towards: expanded oversight: independent anti-corruption bodies with stronger investigative powers, asset forfeiture and procurement transparency.

Strictly implement and enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, including the prompt dismissal and prosecution of corrupt officials irrespective of rank or political affiliation.

13-Point Plan for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections , Trust Us to Keep You Safe (manifesto; accessed 2026-10-18)

Local service delivery — +0.00

Centralised delivery: national standards and national or provincial intervention where councils fail.Municipal self-reliance: councils and communities decide, with private or community providers used where they work better.

Between the two poles

IFP municipalities will work with other spheres of government, professional bodies, communities, civil society and the private sector to mobilise lawful technical and operational support. ... We cannot build functioning municipalities if we outsource all knowledge and capacity while internal institutions collapse.

Manifesto Launch 2026: Building a Partnership of Trust for Stronger Municipalities , Commitment No 2: Trust us to deliver basic services and working infrastructure (party_document, 2026-09-20; accessed 2026-10-18)