By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Freedom Party (NFP) Disciplinary Committee has found its provincial chair and the sole member in the legislature Mbali Shinga guilty.
Shinga was suspended after she failed to submit a report for her conduct during no-confidence debate in the KZN Legislature.
The NFP had publicly declared its support for the MK Party-sponsored motion to remove the premier Thami Ntuli.
However, during the special sitting Shinga defied the party position when she rejected the motion when it was her turn on the podium, arguing it failed to meet governance and constitutional thresholds.
She was charged for violating party instructions amongst others.
The disciplinary committee has found Shinga guilty on all charges brought against her. The ruling affirms the seriousness of her defiance and validates the continuation of proceedings, where substantive sanctions will be determined.
This is a preliminary finding, and the final ruling is expected on April 15, 2026.
The NFP is part of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) which includes the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Democratic Alliance (DA) and African National Congress (ANC) however the party had expressed its dissatisfaction with the leadership of the coalition government.
In the coalition, the NFP was given the provincial Department of Social Development.
Although the NFP holds only a single seat in the legislature, it remains a crucial power broker in the government of provincial unity. If the party’s top leadership succeeds in removing Shinga, it could alter the balance of power in the provincial government.
The IFP, NFP, ANC and DA together hold 41 of the 80 seats in the legislature. By contrast, the MK Party — although the single biggest party, with 37 seats — remains on the opposition benches.
Shinga, the defiant KwaZulu-Natal MEC for social development, insists she will remain in her post, regardless of the outcome of the disciplinary committee.
Shinga has been at loggerheads with other party leaders over attempts to remove her from her position to create space for party’s president Ivan Barnes to take over as the NFP Member of the Provincial Legislature.