MK Party calls for mass march amid vote to oust KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli
MKP member Bonginkosi Khanyile has called on party members to gather in Pietermaritzburg to show their support for the vote of no confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli.
Image: File
The Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) has called on its thousands of supporters to march to the provincial legislature today as part of their pressure campaign to “reclaim” the leadership of the province.
The party has urged its members to converge at the Unisa campus ahead of the march to the legislature in Pietermaritzburg
The DA and the IFP also stated that their supporters would be there in numbers to demonstrate against the motion.
The provincial legislature will debate and vote on the motion to oust KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, a motion brought by the MKP.
A leader of MKP Bonginkosi Khanyile, posted on social media calling for the party’s supporters to show up.
“On December 15, let us gather at the legislature. We are ousting Premier Thami Ntuli. Spread the message far and wide; come all, let’s meet in the morning. We are gathering to oust Ntuli from power. Things are bad; the province should be governed by the party that was voted for by the people,” he said.
MKP student leader Mthobisi Dlamini called on all MKP student members to gather at the Unisa building in Pietermaritzburg where they will start their march to the legislature.
“We are inviting all students, young people, and community members to gather on the 15th of December at Unisa PM, where we will start our march to the provincial legislature and support the MKP motion. We must come in our numbers to show that the GPU (Government of Provincial Unity) has not received the majority of votes in the province. Your presence there in person is essential to show the whole country how many people support MKP," he said.
Another youth leader, Qiniso Cibane, stated, “There will be a massive march in Pietermaritzburg starting at Unisa to the legislature. The intention of this march is to bring our province back to the MKP. All the battalions, let’s meet there; by midday, a new MKP premier will be sworn in.”
The EFF has indicated it will support the motion. It said it had not summoned its supporters and would let its leaders in the legislature handle the business of the day.
EFF spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal Chris Msibi said they are ready to oust the GPU from power. “All the negotiations are finalised; all that is outstanding is to debate the motion and then vote.”
He would not be drawn on how the plan to topple the GPU goes as there is a possibility that the vote could lead to a tie.
“The fact of the matter is, we have left it to the MKP because they invited us to this motion, so we believe they would have done their work and gotten the one additional vote that is needed because we need one vote.”
“We are not voting with the MKP because we support them; we are voting for them on the principle of justice, as we believe the majority party should lead the province. It cannot be that the majority is ruled by the minority.” He said the GPU has failed, stating, “Our province is stagnant; they have not completed a single project. That shows you that they are failing," he said.
ANC chief whip Super Zuma said the ANC still has its marching orders from the provincial office, as clarified by leader Mike Mabuyakhulu recently.
“We are going there to support the GPU; we will defend it. Going into this meeting, we are still expecting that the numbers that led to the election of the premier will remain the same."
IFP leader Blessed Gwala described the parties supporting the motion as political hooligans supported by vultures, he did not name the parties.
He added that these parties' mission is to loot the coffers of the province. “They only want to cause chaos,” he said.
He also stated that the NFP is part of the GPU.
While the NFP leadership has stated that they support the motion, its only member in the legislature, MEC for Social Development Mbali Shinga, had previously said she would not vote against the Government of Provincial Unity.
NFP president Ivan Barnes reiterated yesterday that they will be voting for the motion. Shinga did not respond to requests for comment.
The DA expressed disdain for the motion stating its purpose is to undermine the stability of the province.
“The DA in KwaZulu-Natal will picket in opposition to the motion of no confidence brought by the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party against the KZN Government of Provincial Unity. The picket will be led by the DA KZN Leadership and all public representatives from different regions of the province. They will highlight the importance of stable, accountable governance in KZN and the DA’s firm stance against politically motivated attempts to destabilise the province,” it said in a statement.