National Freedom Party faces internal revolt over decision to work with ANC in KwaZulu-Natal
National Freedom Party members at the launch of the party’s 2014 election manifesto at Mehlareng Stadium in Tembisa, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images /Sowetan / Mohau Mofokeng)
The National Freedom Party (NFP) leadership, which has been cooperating with the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal’s hung municipalities, is facing an internal revolt over its decision to work with the governing party.
After the 2021 municipal elections, the NFP — a breakaway of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) — cooperated with the ANC in municipalities such as eDumbe and eThekwini.
The NFP/ANC coalition was working towards toppling the IFP through a motion of no confidence in IFP mayors in municipalities such as Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal, where the ANC, NFP, and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) coalitions combined have more councillors than the IFP.
But, with the NFP national leadership now facing the internal revolt, it is unlikely that the NFP councillors will support the ANC and the EFF’s bid to vote against IFP mayors in the province’s hung municipalities.
Several NFP councillors in Nongoma and Zululand municipalities said they will vote with IFP councillors in the event of motions of no confidence being tabled against IFP mayors by either the ANC or EFF.
“When we were campaigning during the 2021 municipal elections, we told people to vote for us so that we can remove the ANC from power in KZN municipalities. Now that the people voted for us, we can’t betray them and work with the ANC. If the NFP leadership insists that we should work with the ANC, we will defy that instruction,” said an NFP councillor at the Nongoma local municipality.
The threats by NFP councillors come a few days after the Pietermaritzburg high court ruled that the province’s cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC, Bongi Sithole-Moloi, should go ahead and call a special council meeting at the Nongoma municipality.
It is in that meeting where the ANC — with the support of the NFP and the EFF — was planning to vote out IFP office bearers.
NFP secretary general Canaan Mdletshe conceded that the party leadership’s decision to cooperate with the ANC was now threatening to divide the NFP.
“Indeed, it’s true that there are voices within the NFP opposing the coalition arrangement we currently have. As the NFP leadership, it would be unwise for us to ignore such voices.”
When asked whether the NFP leadership would insist that the party’s councillors should support a motion of no confidence in IFP leaders in the Nongoma municipality should a special council meeting be called, Mdletshe said that “it will depend”.
“As the NFP leadership, we have resolved to call an urgent meeting to discuss this very issue. So, our posture on coalition arrangements going forward will be shaped by the outcome of that important meeting.” — The Witness
