By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Sandile Ndlovu.
The National Freedom Party (NFP) National Executive Committee (NEC) has resolved to withdraw from the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government of provincial unity (GPU) coalition.
NFP won 19,548 votes of the 3.5 million cast in KZN, making the infamously fractious party KZN’s kingmaker.
The MK party swept the floor in the 2024 elections in KZN, securing 37 of the 80 seats, but the opposition united to keep it out of power.
The legislature has 80 members. If MK, EFF, and NFP were to form a pact, it would be divided 40–40, leaving the provincial government unable to pass any legislation. MK party has 37 seats, the EFF has two, and the NFP has one. The IFP holds 15 seats, the ANC 14 and the DA 11.
Acting Secretary-General Sunset Bheki Xaba confirmed that the decision was taken at a special meeting of the party’s NEC held on Monday, where leaders agreed to exit the multi-party coalition governing the province.
Xaba said, the party has instructed its sole MPL Mbali Shinga to resign from both her position as MEC of Social Development and MPL by 09:00 on Thursday.
He added that the leadership was assured she would act in a manner that reflected the discipline, principles, unity and integrity of the party.
Shinga’s position has been at the centre of internal conflict within the NFP for several months, culminating in her suspension pending a disciplinary process.
The tensions came to the fore in December when she defied a party directive to support a motion of no confidence in Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, which had been tabled by the MK Party.
Shinga defied NFP president Ivan Barnes, who had struck a deal with MK Party and the EFF to try to wrest control from the GPU.
MK Party and the EFF, realising they would lose their motion of no confidence, opted not to vote, calling for a secret ballot due to security concerns about politically motivated threats. The irony was lost on no one in the legislature.
The NFP failed to win enough support nationally to muster a single seat in the National Assembly, leaving Barnes without a paying job.
The DA and IFP have made it clear they would never work with MK Party, while the ANC has raised concerns about the party’s lack of governance experience.
However, tensions between the IFP and NFP have simmered for months.
In June 2024, Barnes accused his coalition partners of betraying an agreement that would have seen him or a member of his party become mayor of the Zululand District Municipality.
The IFP later denied ever making such a promise, and while the NFP was allocated a Cabinet position, with Shinga appointed MEC, the IFP voted in its own candidate, Michael Khumalo, as Zululand mayor.