MEC Mbali Shinga secures court interdict against disciplinary enquiry

MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbali Shinga, has obtained an urgent court  interdict to prevent her party from holding a disciplinary enquiry against her that was scheduled for this past weekend. 

She expressed her fears that the attempts to hold a disciplinary enquiry against her are a pretext to formalise grounds for her removal from her position in the provincial legislature and, by extension, the provincial government.

Shinga is the provincial chairperson of the National Freedom Party (NFP) and serves as the MEC under the Government of Provincial Unity.

She highlights concerns about the process of disciplining her, pointing to a letter dated June 26, which called her to a disciplinary enquiry and was signed by party President Ivan Barnes. She argues that the party constitution does not grant Barnes the authority to take such action but instead assigns this role to a prosecutor appointed by party structures.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled in her favour, deeming the holding of the disciplinary inquiry unlawful and barring it from being held on this past weekend.

The court ruled that the notice for the disciplinary hearing issued on June 26 was unlawful, void, and of no force or effect.

Shinga has been at loggerheads with other party leaders over attempts to remove her from her position to create space for Barnes. A few weeks ago, this tension spilled into public view as Shinga and another leader of the party sparred on public radio. 

In a statement, the NFP said it was aware of the order and reserves its rights and refrains from commenting on the substantive aspects of the matter, as it is currently  sub judice

THE MERCURY