ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula is processing the MKP's request for a meeting to discuss the removal of the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal.
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The ANC says it is processing the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s (MKP) request to dismantle the current coalition in KwaZulu-Natal and form a new one.
In a new effort to oust the IFP-led Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the MKP has written to the ANC national leadership, requesting a meeting this week discuss the motion of no confidence against Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli and the formation of a new coalition.
Speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo’s statues in Durban on Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Task Team coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu confirmed that the MKP wrote to the party requesting the meeting, adding that the request is being processed by the Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.
“We can confirm the receipt of the letter although it was directed to the office of Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, we were copied as the province,” said Mabuyakhulu.
He further stated that the provincial leadership will await further communication and direction from the head office.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, shielded him from taking questions about this matter, saying he was here on government matters and referred all questions related to the letter to Mbalula.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri or Mbalula did not respond to questions.
The letter penned by the MKP Deputy President, Tony Yengeni, partly read: "The MKP has been engaged in meetings with the NFP and EFF to discuss the constitution of a new coalition government in KwaZulu-Natal; therefore, in the spirit of cooperation and inclusive political engagement, we hereby formally invite the ANC to participate in the discussions."
It further proposed this coming Saturday at a venue that will be confirmed later. The party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, had not yet responded to questions sent to him at the time of publication.
The MKP’s approach to the ANC comes amid the finalisation of the disciplinary hearing of Mbali Shinga, in which the outcome is expected to be announced by the end of this week.
Shinga, who is also Social Development MEC in the IFP-led GPU, was charged by her party soon after defying its instructions in a motion of no confidence vote against Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli last year.
On December 15, Shinga openly defied the party’s directive to vote for Ntuli’s removal. This angered the party's bosses, including President Ivan Barnes, who watched the proceedings from the chamber’s gallery. This prompted the party’s national executive committee (NEC) to hold a special meeting, which resolved to suspend and haul her to a disciplinary hearing, which started in early January.
On Friday, the hearing proceeded without Shinga, who attended the State of the Province Address; however, she was represented by her legal team, and both parties presented closing arguments