The president of the National Freedom Party (NFP), Ivan Barnes, has denied allegations that he has received a sweet deal from the African National Congress (ANC) to keep his party in the provincial unity government (GPU) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). According to media reports, Barnes and senior ANC leaders in KZN met last Saturday to discuss the NFP’s decision to leave the GPU. It is in this meeting that the ANC delegations allegedly offered Barnes a number of options to convince him to keep his party in the GPU, including a position in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.
However, in a statement on Monday, Barnes denied these allegations. “We must emphasise that the NFP approached these engagements strictly to listen to what the ANC had to present. At no point was the NFP in a position to propose, negotiate or accept any offers.
“Importantly, no proposal was made to cater for the NFP president as falsely claimed,” said Barnes. He said the discussions were simply limited to the reasons behind the NFP’s decision to leave the GPU in KZN. “It is in the public domain that the NFP has received invitations from the African National Congress (KZN PTT), the uMkhonto weSizwe party (MKP), and the KwaZulu-Natal DA,” said Barnes.
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Despite all these meetings, Barnes said the NFP is not ready to commit to an agreement with any party. For now, this means the ANC and its allies in the GPU hold a majority in the legislature, with 40 seats. The EFF has already pledged support for an MK party government in KZN; together, these two parties have 39 seats.
This makes the NFP the kingmaker. “Once all engagements with relevant parties have been concluded and internal processes finalised, the NFP will communicate its decisions openly and transparently to the media and to the people of South Africa, particularly the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal.”
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