In a dramatic political shift, the National Freedom Party (NFP) has resolved to immediately withdraw from the KwaZulu-Natal Government of Provincial Unity (GPU). The decision, which threatens the stability of the provincial coalition, was announced alongside the ongoing disciplinary hearing of the party’s suspended provincial chairperson, Mbali Shinga.
The move follows a directive from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), constituted on January 5, 2026. In a letter addressed to Shinga, who serves as the MEC for Social Development, the NEC stated its resolution was taken “in full exercise of the powers vested in the NEC by the constitution.”
The instruction to Shinga is explicit: she is to tender her resignation from her executive position by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026. The letter orders her to copy the resignation to the office of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, the Speaker of the Legislature, and the office of the NFP’s acting secretary general.
This drastic action is directly linked to a disciplinary process against Shinga that began today. She appeared before a party tribunal for voting against a motion of no confidence in Premier Ntuli last month. The motion, brought by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) and supported by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ultimately failed. However, Shinga’s vote contravened the NFP leadership’s decision to side with the MKP and EFF in an attempt to collapse the GPU.
The letter to Shinga frames the instruction as a matter of party discipline, stating it is “issued not in disregard of your service but in recognition of the higher duty we all share to uphold the collective discipline, constitutional obligations and strategic direction of the NFP.”
The NFP’s simultaneous withdrawal from the GPU and the disciplinary action against its sole member in the legislature underscores a severe internal rift and a decisive hardline turn in its political strategy. The party is now fully aligning itself with opposition efforts to dismantle the current provincial government.
The resignation deadline for MEC Shinga is set for tomorrow morning, with the NFP’s exit from the coalition effective immediately. The move plunges the KwaZulu-Natal GPU into uncertainty and marks a significant realignment of political forces in the province.