Death Threats Force MK Party–NFP Meeting Postponement as KwaZulu-Natal Power Battle Intensifies

A highly anticipated meeting between the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the National Freedom Party (NFP) has been postponed due to “death threats” directed at attendees.

Both parties were alerted by police intelligence about the potential risks associated with their gathering and were advised to postpone the engagement, which they duly did.

NFP spokesperson Romeo Dladla confirmed that, based on the security threats, their meeting with the MK Party did not go ahead as planned.

“Yes, the meeting could not take place on the day it was supposed to sit. The reason was the safety compromise, as we were tipped off by police intelligence,” said Dladla.

The unexpected outcome has raised speculation in some quarters about KwaZulu-Natal’s political landscape, more specifically the growing tensions within the provincial legislature.

The Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) is presently teetering on the edge. Political parties belonging to this arrangement have been on a charm offensive to secure ongoing support from the NFP and ensure the survival of the GPU.

If the NFP continues to distance itself from the GPU, it would shift the power balance in favour of the opposing bloc of parties led by the MK Party.

In recent weeks, the NFP has been courted by GPU members — the DA and ANC — as well as the MK Party.

The latest aborted meeting with the MK Party would have been the second time the two parties met.

A joining of forces between the NFP, MK Party and EFF would be a decisive blow to the GPU’s current control of governance in the province.

The weekend’s talks were intended to focus on a fresh attempt by the MK Party and its allies to pursue a motion of no confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli.

With the MK Party holding 37 seats in the 80-seat legislature, and support from the EFF, which has two seats, they attempted on two previous occasions to oust Ntuli via motions of no confidence but were unsuccessful as they failed to garner the necessary support.

Their attempts were largely hindered when the NFP’s only Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), Mbali Shinga, threw her lot in with the GPU alliance, despite her party’s instruction.

This defiance of party mandate placed the NFP in a precarious position, with sources suggesting that Shinga has since been suspended and is undergoing a disciplinary hearing, with a resolution expected in the coming weeks.

Shinga has been at loggerheads with NFP leader Ivan Barnes, with her unwavering allegiance to the GPU, a central point of contention.

The tensions currently playing out within NFP circles are set to impact the party’s upcoming discussions with the IFP, particularly around concerns about Ntuli’s handling of the Shinga matter and certain allegations raised against some of the province’s MECs.

Shinga’s suspension came shortly after she openly defied the NFP’s instruction to support the most recent motion of no confidence against Thamsanqa Ntuli in December.

Shinga, who serves as MEC for Social Development in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial cabinet, is the NFP’s sole MEC.

On January 7, 2026, the NFP announced that it was withdrawing from the GPU.

Despite the weekend’s meeting not going ahead, Dladla said he was optimistic that a new meeting date with the MK Party — expected within a week, although yet to be confirmed — would materialise.

Both the MKP and the SAPS did not respond to questions from Daily News at the time of publication. 

DAILY NEWS