Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is a political party in South Africa. A large number of IFP supporters are Zulu-speaking people.
Inkatha was founded in the 1920’s to generate mass support for the Zulu monarchy. It developed from an organization called Inkatha Ye Nkululeko Ye Sizwe (National Cultural Liberation Movement). After a period of relative inactivity, Inkatha was revived by Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi in 1975. Its aims included freeing Africans from white colonialism and ending ethnic discrimination.
In the 1980’s, the IFP began a bitter—and sometimes violent—rivalry with the African National Congress (ANC). In 1994, however, the IFP joined the majority ANC in the first South African government chosen by voters of all races.
