ANC promises ‘something good’ for NFP President Ivan Barnes amid party infighting and GPU turmoil
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has reportedly promised to find "something good" for NFP President Ivan Barnes (pictured) to keep his party in the GPU.
Image: Independent Media Archives
In an attempt to save the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has promised to find “something good” for NFP president Ivan Barnes.
The two parties met on Saturday where the ANC listened to the NFP’s concerns which led to the party’s withdrawal from the GPU. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the senior party members who was part of the meeting said the meeting centered around on what opportunites existed for Barnes in political office.
After its recent withdrawal from the GPU, all the GPU parties reached out to the NFP leadership and asked for separate meetings. The NFP had previously cited the backtracking of the GPU partners from an earlier agreement - for it to run one municipality in KZN and a cabinet position in the Government of National Unity.
The source said that the NFP raised the issue that, as the president of the kingmaker party, Barnes was meant to be rewarded politically, but this had not taken place.
The source also revealed that the option of Barnes being appointed as a Deputy Minister by President Cyril Ramaphosa was discussed, however it was immediately taken off the table after the realisation that there are no vacancies because the president has already exhausted his constitutional prerogative to appoint people from outside Parliament.
The constitution allows the president to appoint two individuals from outside parliament to his cabinet and has already appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as acting Police Minister and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube as Higher Education Deputy Minister.
“The ANC asked to be given time to go and look at something good that will be offered to the NFP president so there will be a follow up meeting,” said the source.
ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi refused to confirm whether the meeting took place, saying he would only know when the party’s provincial working committee meets on Monday.
NFP acting Secretary-General Sunset Xaba was not available for comment.
The NFP delegation also reportedly met the Umkhonto weSizwe Party later on Saturday, however, the MKP's provincial deputy secretary Shirley Willemse refused to divulge the discussions and the outcome saying the meeting involved senior national leadership of the party.
The NFP is also expected to meet with the other GPU partners, the IFP and the DA.
Meanwhile, the party has suspended its national chairperson, Msawenkosi Mkhabela, amid deepening internal divisions.
The announcement followed a chaotic disciplinary hearing for the party’s KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Social Development, Mbali Shinga, held at the Edward Hotel in Durban last week. The hearing turned confrontational due to entrenched rifts within the party.
Party spokesperson and national administrator Themba Dladla confirmed Mkhabela’s immediate suspension and said other party members linked to the recent controversies would also face disciplinary processes.
“The councillors who attended the unauthorised press conference will be called to a disciplinary process,” Dladla stated.
The clash between officials flared up on the sidelines of Shinga’s disciplinary hearing. She has been charged with defying a party directive to support a vote of no confidence against Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli.
The situation escalated into a physical confrontation when uThukela chairperson Manqoba Dlamini clashed with NFP president Ivan Barnes during the proceedings, igniting tensions that have been simmering within the party for weeks.
Dlamini said the altercation erupted after Barnes addressed the group informally. Barnes responded by saying: “When you are addressing a person, you refer to them by their surname, because we are seniors and comrades.”
Barnes asserted that he would not be intimidated, describing himself as someone well acquainted with conflict due to his upbringing in a rural area.
The battle for control within the NFP has been marked by factionalism, particularly among groups aligned with the government of provincial unity. The faction that firmly backed Shinga denounced the party leadership’s decisions during a media briefing on Wednesday, signalling dissatisfaction with how the party is being managed.
The suspension of Mkhabela, along with the disciplinary action against Dlamini and other councillors, points to a broader struggle for power within the party.
A week earlier, Barnes announced a resolution for the NFP to withdraw from the coalition government, further complicating the situation. In response, the faction supporting Shinga questioned the legitimacy of Barnes’ authority over decisions taken by the provincial structure.
Adding to the uncertainty, Shinga’s disciplinary hearing has been postponed and is now scheduled to reconvene from Wednesday to Friday. According to official party communications, the adjournment was intended to allow for the proper collation of documents and to ensure witnesses are adequately prepared for upcoming testimonies.
DAILY NEWS