KZN Government of Provincial Unity on the Brink as NFP Moves to Axe MPL Mbali Shinga
Mbali Shinga
Image: File
The KwaZulu-Natal Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) is on shaky ground again after the NFP national executive committee wrote to the Speaker Nontembeko Boyce and asked to fire Mbali Shinga as a member of the legislature.
The NFP’s letter to the Speaker comes after the party resolved to temporarily terminate Shinga’s membership last week. The suspension bars her from participating in all party activities including representing it in government. It was a response to her defiance to support the Umkhonto weSizwe Party's motion of no-confidence as directed by the party leadership.
The party’s acting Secretary-General Sunset Xaba said after she did not respond to the letter from the leadership to explain the reason for defying the party’s instruction to support the motion, the party then took a decision to suspend her membership. Shinga, who had been given until the weekend to respond to the letter, chose to ignore the party’s directive.
“After suspending her, we have written to the Speaker and asked to remove her from the legislature. It is clear that after suspension she no longer represents the party therefore the Speaker must remove her from the chamber,” said Xaba, adding that the party was awaiting the Speaker’s response,
The Speaker’s spokesperson, Aphelele Ntumbu, said there were processes involved in the recalling of a member, in keeping with Rule 106 of the Standing Rules.
He added that until such procedural imperatives were confirmed, the Speaker can not comment on the issue.
"The office of the Speaker will communicate once an official position has been adopted in this regard," said Ntumbu
At the time of the publication he had not returned with the confirmation. Shinga, on the other hand, refused to entertain information by sources that she would approach the court again.
It remains unclear whether the NFP leadership will succeed this time in removing her after the Pietermaritzburg High Court rejected its first attempt six months ago on the basis that the party’s NEC had no powers to remove her.
In July, the party wrote to the Speaker demanding the removal of Shinga from office. The ultimatum followed Shinga's refusal to submit the amended list removing her as number one and replacing her with the party president Ivan Barnes.
The court accepted her argument that Barnes and his NEC had no authority to remove or discipline her since those powers belong to the provincial executive committee and her branch respectively. The court set aside both letters of removal and disciplinary action.
In another political development related to the motion, the Speaker has suspended the five day salaries of the 35 uMkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP) members and one EFF member for violent behaviour during the motion last week. In a statement, issued by the Speaker’s Office on Monday night, she said of the chamber’s rules of order, the members will not be paid for days worked between 12 and 17 January next year for their violent behaviour during the house sitting last week.
However, both parties rejected the move and vowed to challenge it in court.
The MKP’s chief whip, Bonginkosi Mngadi accused the Speaker of taking an emotional decision. He said in terms of the rules, the Speaker must first call the members by their names during the sitting and announce the sanctions before writing to them.
“This is a clear and illegal decision and our legal team is dealing with it.
EFF’s provincial secretary Vukani Ndlovu also dismissed the Speaker’s move, saying his party will challenge it in court.