By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) speaker Nontembeko Boyce has suspended 32 members of the legislature following a failed motion of no confidence against premier Thami Ntuli on Monday 15 December 2025.
Fullview understands the suspended members are from uMkhonto weSizwe Party and one is from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
A scuffle broke out when MK Party members rejected the results, prompting the proceedings to be adjourned.
A heavy throng of police had to be called in and Boyce had to be whisked out after she was manhandled by angry members of the party.
In a statement, Boyce says the members were suspended according to rule 63 (1) of the Standing Rules, for gross disorderly, violent and unlawful conduct during the sitting of the 15 December 2025.”
Boyce said, “the Legislature will not tolerate violence, intimidation or deliberate disruption of its proceedings.”
She added, that the Speaker has exercised her powers, in terms of the Standing Rules, to impose a sanction of 05 days without remuneration, from the 12-17 January 2026, inline with the provisions of rule 66.”
The motion failed to meet the required 40+1 threshold which could have seen the government of provincial unity being dissolved. The MK party had pinned its hopes on a secret ballot which Boyce however denied.
The MK party pulled a surprise when it garnered about 45% of the provincial vote during the 2024 general elections, having been formed less than six months prior.
The party holds 37 out of 80 seats, but was relegated to the opposition benches when the ANC, Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party and the NFP bandied together to form the government of provincial unity.
The party said, it will go to court to seek yet another motion of no confidence against Ntuli, but they want it to be a secret ballot.
“The lawyers are looking at it. We’ll probably look at going to court to force the speaker to grant a secret ballot based on the possible threat to the lives of political leaders in KZN, the party said.