NFP president Ivan Barnes' name has been sent to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Speaker as the replacement of Mbali Shinga who was expelled by her party after a lenghty disciplinary process and unsuccessful appeal.
Image: Supplied
The National Freedom Party (NFP), which holds the balance of power with only one seat in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, is facing deep internal divisions after former provincial chairperson Mbali Shinga filed an urgent court bid to halt her expulsion from the party.
Following the dismissal of her appeal, the NFP wrote to KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce informing her of Shinga's expulsion. The move would effectively strip her of her positions as a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) and MEC for Social Development.
On Wednesday, Shinga filed court papers seeking an interdict to prevent the party from recalling her from the legislature, where she serves as the NFP's sole representative.
Despite the appeal tribunal's rejection of Shinga's challenge and a formal notification to the Speaker by NFP secretary-general Bheki Xaba, the party's Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) in KwaZulu-Natal has openly defied the national leadership's directive to remove her.
The NEC plans to replace Shinga with party president Ivan Barnes in the legislature, a move that would pave the way for an alliance between the NFP, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the EFF, following the party's decision to shift its political allegiance.
The proposed NFP-MKP-EFF alliance would command 40 seats in the 80-member legislature, matching the 40-seat bloc held by the IFP-ANC-DA partnership and creating a finely balanced power dynamic.
Expelled KwaZulu-Natal chairperson of the National Freedom Party Mbali Shinga has approached the court to halt her removal from the KZN Legislature.
Image: KZN Social Development / Facebook
In a scathing media statement issued by KZN Provincial Secretary Zodwa Mtshali, the provincial structure accused the National Executive Committee (NEC) of bypassing constitutional protocols and attempting to run the political organization via social media.
According to the PEC, provincial leadership was never formally consulted, briefed, or engaged regarding the NEC's decision to recall Shinga. Instead, provincial leaders and party members allegedly discovered the development online.
"The PEC, like many members of the organisation, became aware of these developments through social media platforms and public communication," the statement read.
"The NFP is not run through social media. The NFP is a constitutional organization with elected structures."
The KZN leadership noted that a promised national delegation from the NEC to discuss provincial matters never arrived, leaving provincial structures completely uninformed.
The core of the dispute appears to centre around the NFP's participation in KwaZulu-Natal’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) following the 2024 elections.
The PEC strongly defended Shinga, asserting that she entered the legislature and participated in the house under explicit instructions and a clear political mandate to join the GPU. The provincial structure claims it was never informed of any decision by the national body to withdraw from the coalition arrangement.
"At no stage was the PEC formally informed that the NFP had withdrawn from the GPU," the committee stated, arguing that the NFP Constitution cannot be applied retroactively to punish an official for executing a mandate that was never officially revoked.
With internal communication broken down, the KZN PEC has given its full blessing for Shinga to challenge her removal in the courts to ensure the matter is "tested fairly and lawfully."
Defending the legal move, the PEC stated that approaching the judiciary is a constitutional right and should not be viewed as an attack on the party itself, but rather as a necessary step to protect internal democracy from being silenced by leadership overreach.
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