Speaker suspends 36 MK Party and EFF lawmakers in KwaZulu-Natal
Thirty-six members of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature have been suspended following chaotic and violent scenes during a sitting earlier this month.
Speaker Nontembeko Boyce announced on December 22, 2025, that 35 of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s 37 MPLs, along with one Economic Freedom Fighters MPL, would be suspended.
Boyce accused the members of the legislature of having conducted a deliberate, coordinated assault on the dignity of the House.
The suspensions stem from disruptions during a sitting on December 15, when the legislature debated a motion of no confidence in Premier Thamsanqa “Thami” Ntuli.
The motion was tabled by the MKP, which emerged as the largest party in the legislature with 37 seats after the 2024 elections.
The party accused Ntuli, an Inkatha Freedom Party provincial leader heading a multiparty Government of Provincial Unity coalition, of financial mismanagement, poor governance, failure to address unemployment and poverty, and misleading the house about official travel.
The EFF, which holds two seats, supported the motion.
Tensions escalated over the method of voting. The MKP and EFF demanded a secret ballot, citing fears of intimidation and threats against members.
Speaker Boyce rejected the request and ruled that the vote would proceed openly.
When the open vote began, MKP and EFF members erupted in protest, banging on tables, stomping their feet, singing struggle songs and chanting for more than an hour.
The disruptions later turned physical, with reports of scuffles with police inside the chamber, jostling of officers, aggressive gestures and attempts to block the Speaker from leaving.
Police were eventually deployed to restore order, and one MKP member reportedly collapsed amid the chaos.
Legislative officials later described the conduct as grossly disorderly, violent and unlawful, saying it included assaults on police and conduct that undermined the dignity of the house.
Despite the disruptions, the motion of no confidence failed, with the GPU coalition holding its numbers in a narrow vote.
Ntuli survived the challenge and retained his position as premier, while MKP members refused to fully participate in the voting process after the disorder.
The suspensions
The suspensions will last for five sitting days, from January 12 to January 16, 2026, and will be without pay.
During this period, the affected MPLs are barred from entering the legislature precincts. The action was taken under Rule 66 of the legislature’s rules, which deals with conduct inconsistent with members’ oath of office and assaults on the authority of the house.
Two MKP members were exempted from the sanctions, reportedly because they did not take part in the disruptions.
Boyce said the legislature stood firmly against violence, intimidation and deliberate disruption, adding that its dignity had to be protected without exception.
Premier Ntuli welcomed the suspensions, saying they reinforced discipline and upheld the integrity of the legislature.
The MKP has reacted angrily, condemning the suspensions as unlawful and politically dangerous. The party claims there was no procedural fairness and has accused the Speaker of abusing her powers.
MKP chief whip Siphiwe Moyo-Mbatha, who is among those suspended, dismissed the suspension letters as “a joke” and said the party was consulting lawyers with a view to taking legal action.
The incident has once again exposed deep political tensions in KwaZulu-Natal following the 2024 elections.
Although the MKP emerged as the single largest party, it was excluded from government after the formation of the GPU coalition made up of the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP.
Since then, the MKP has repeatedly challenged the coalition’s legitimacy and vowed to reclaim control of the province.
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What an embarrassment. They do not represent me