Cabinet reshuffle on the cards in KZN as political tension rises in the GPU

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli is expected to make his first cabinet reshuffle as part of his party concessions to the ANC’s demand in order to save the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).

As part of concessions, Ntuli is said to have agreed to swap Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and Mtomuhle Khawula, the MEC of Sports Arts and Culture. The IFP concession is said to have emanated from its meeting with ANC provincial leadership last week where the ANC demanded the removal of Buthelezi and the reinstatement of Umkhanyakude District Municipality mayor Siphile Mdaka - this will ensure the ANC backs Ntuli who faces a motion of no confidence brought by the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).

The IFP and ANC stand-off led to intervention from national ANC leaders, who met with senior IFP leaders on Saturday. Although the outcome of that meeting is not yet known, it is believed that the IFP has conceded to reshuffle the provincial cabinet, with Buthelezi being moved out of the Cogta portfolio. 

IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa dismissed suggestions of a possible reshuffle of the cabinet.

"There is no iota of truth to the effect of the IFP making any concessions to a cabinet reshuffle. There is no reshuffle," said Hlengwa. The ANC did respond to a request for comment.

Buthelezi’s strained relationship with the ANC in KZN dates back to the widely publicised microphone-grabbing incident in March last year where the then Economic Development and Tourism MEC and ANC provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma, forcefully took a microphone from him.

Buthelezi, who was the Zulu traditional prime minister at the time, was about to speak and introduce King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, when Duma grabbed the microphone-a stunned President Cyril Ramaphosa who was sitting next to Misuzulu, watched the embarrassing debacle unfold..

The relations soured even further after the ANC accused Buthelezi of using his position as Cogta MEC to target ANC-led municipalities, particularly the decision to place the ANC-led Umkhanyakude municipality under the administration. The decision was later reversed after the ANC took the matter to court.

Buthelezi refused to discuss his possible removal from Cogta, referring all queries to Ntuli's office. Khawula’s spokesperson Ntando Mnyandu said he did not know anything about a reshuffle while Ntuli's spokesperson Bongani Gina said the Premier will inform the media if there are changes to the cabinet.

In the other development, the National Freedom Party president Ivan Barnes has formally announced that his party will back the MKP motion. In a media briefing on Saturday, Barnes announced that the MKP has formally requested a meeting to talk about the motion. It is still unclear how the NFP will support the motion as its sole member in the provincial legislature, Mbali Shinga is openly defying the party.

Last week Shinga, who is also Social Development MEC said she is still behind the GPU and she does not know of any decision contrary to that.

The DA, which is part of GPU, said it will not get involved in differences of opinion between the MKP and the NFP, or the ANC and IFP.  The DA’s provincial leader Francois Rodgers said his party is the centre of the GPU, saying his party had called on the Premier on numerous occasions to convene a meeting of the four parties so that any differences can be discussed and a way forward could be found. 

“When we pick up challenges along the way we need to be sensible, mature and come up with solutions. We are still fully behind the GPU,” said Rodgers.

[email protected]