The stability of KwaZulu-Natal’s government of provincial unity (GPU) has once again been thrown into doubt following the National Freedom Party’s (NFP) announcement that it is withdrawing from the governing arrangement. The move has exposed deepening fault lines within the fragile coalition and raised the prospect of a political deadlock in the KZN Legislature, with potentially far-reaching consequences for governance in the province. NFP acting secretary-general Bheki Xaba said the decision was driven by what the party views as sustained marginalisation by larger partners within the GPU.
He accused senior parties of undermining the NFP, despite its role in securing the coalition government. Political analyst Professor André Duvenhage, from North-West University, warned that the NFP’s withdrawal could deal a significant blow to an already weakened ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. He said the situation could become dire should the NFP align itself with the MK Party.
“This will be an extremely bad situation for the ANC,” Duvenhage said. It would give the MK Party access to billions of rands and significant state resources within the provincial government, which they are likely to use to advance their own political agenda. He added that an MK-led provincial government would severely undermine the ANC’s efforts to rebuild its organisational and electoral base in the province. The MK Party holds 37 of the 80 seats in the KZN Legislature and has already shown its appetite for power.
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