More chaos in the KwaZulu-Natal coalition as kingmaker NFP suspends its sole representative

The National Freedom Party (NFP) has suspended its KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson, Mbali Shinga.

This was revealed in a media briefing on Friday, 9 January, after the NFP announced its withdrawal from the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) in KwaZulu-Natal.

Party President Ivan Barnes said that Shinga will be temporarily suspended for three months while a disciplinary inquiry against her concludes.

The chairperson and sole representative of the NFP in the provincial coalition was already asked to resign as MEC by Acting Secretary General Sunset Bheki Xaba by January 8, which she never did. 

Discussing the party’s exit from the GPU, the NFP cited coalition challenges. The initial coalition was made up of the IFP, ANC, DA, and NFP, making up 41 out of the 80 seats in the legislature. 

The IFP’s Thami Ntuli holds the premiership, originally supported by the ANC, DA and NFP, totalling 41 seats against the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s 37 and the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) two.

The NFP’s sole representative, Shinga, who serves as MEC for Social Development, provided the critical vote that tipped the scales.

However, internal discord within the NFP has now unravelled this alliance, with factions in the party either for or against working with former President Jacob Zuma’s party.

The crux of the internal conflict can be traced back to a failed motion of no confidence against Ntuli.

The motion was sponsored by the MK Party on December 15, 2025. Barnes directed Shinga to support the motion, which could have handed control of the province and its R150-billion annual budget to the MK Party and EFF.

Shinga defied this order, ensuring the motion’s defeat amid chaotic scenes in the legislature.

This act of insubordination led to her suspension and ongoing disciplinary proceedings for alleged gross misconduct and defiance of party directives.

Barnes reportedly sent a letter to the KwaZulu-Natal speaker, informing them of Shinga’s suspension; however, the speaker rejected it, saying that she had not done anything unlawful.

Even after the NFP withdrawal, the remaining GPU partners, the IFP, ANC and DA, still hold 40 seats. The opposition, MK and EFF, hold 39 seats, meaning that no side has a clear majority. 

The ANC insists the GPU “remains in place” and stable, as collapsing it would require more than 41 votes. 

However, if Shinga is removed, KwaZulu-Natal could be in a legislative deadlock and would require the provincial government to negotiate with the opposition to pass any piece of legislation or budget.