IFP Youth Brigade Chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal Mncedisi Maphisa has been suspended by the party over a leaked call recording where he is heard allegedly plotting to disrupt IFP branch processes, with calls to intervene "in full force".
Image: SUPPLIED
The Inkatha Freedom Party has moved swiftly to suspend one of its senior youth leaders in KwaZulu-Natal following controversy over an alleged call recording that has sent shockwaves through party ranks.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the IFP confirmed that its National Executive Committee (NEC) convened a special meeting on Tuesday night to deliberate on the matter involving KwaZulu-Natal IFP Youth Brigade provincial chairperson and National Council member Mncedisi Maphisa, as well as another party member, Lindi Ndlovu.
The party said its decision followed formal correspondence from Maphisa confirming that the voice heard in the circulating recording was indeed his.
Following that admission, the NEC resolved to suspend Maphisa from all party activities and responsibilities with immediate effect, including his role as provincial Youth Brigade chairperson and his seat on the IFP National Council, pending disciplinary proceedings.
Ndlovu was also suspended from the party and barred from all IFP-related activities while disciplinary processes unfold.
The Inkatha Freedom Party has suspended KwaZulu-Natal Youth Brigade chairperson Mncedisi Maphisa and party member Lindi Ndlovu following an alleged call recording that has rocked the party.
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
The party said its leadership would continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the recording and compile a comprehensive report for submission to the National Council, which will oversee the disciplinary process.
While the IFP did not disclose the contents of the alleged recording, the decisive action signals the seriousness with which party leaders view the matter.
In its statement, the NEC also issued a stern warning to members and structures across the organisation, cautioning against “divisive, irresponsible and reckless conduct” that could damage the party’s image or weaken internal unity.
The fallout comes at a sensitive political moment in KwaZulu-Natal, where the IFP remains a major force and internal cohesion is critical as parties position themselves for future electoral battles.
Reaffirming its stance, the IFP said it remains committed to discipline, unity, integrity and the preservation of the values on which the party was founded.
In the leaked call recording he is heard allegedly plotting to disrupt IFP branch processes, with calls to intervene "in full force". The IFP is currently inaugurating branches in preparation for the November 4 local elections.
A person believed to be Maphisa is heard plotting with a woman in a phone call, plotting to disrupt branch processes and sabotage the inaguaration of the branches.
"The problem with us is that we are not united. The people who are part of us should alert us as soon as they hear about the inauguration of a branch so that we can go there in full force and make our voice heard," the woman in a conversation with a person believed to be Maphisa is heard saying.
Maphisa is not new to controversy and leaked recordings. In 2023, as Mayor of Abaqulusi Municipality, he was found guilty of contravening the councillors' code of ethics for meddling in employment and tender processes and made inflammatory comments with sexual undertones which put a woman colleague's marriage at risk.
The former mayor was heard instructing colleagues not to hire anyone without consulting him. Maphisa was heard telling his subordinates as then mayor that he is the "only bull with balls" and that "he has authority to mate with other cows".