Mbali Shinga, NFP MPL in the Provincial Legislature, has been appointed Acting MEC for Health. Political analysts are divided on the recent appointment ofMbali Shinga, National Freedom Party’s (NFP) Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), as Acting MEC for Health. Some see it as a strategic move byPremier Thami Ntulithat could shift the balance of power within the province’s fragile coalition, while others warn it could deepen the already existing divisions within the NFP and the broader Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) Shinga, current MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal, has been appointed as the Acting Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health in the province.
This decision comes following the temporary leave of the incumbent MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi. Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli announced the appointment in an internal memorandum dated 13 January 2026. “In terms of section 138 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, I hereby appoint Ms C M Shinga, Member of the Executive Council for Social Development, as Acting Member of the Executive Council for Health, with effect from 17 January 2026 up to and including 25 January 2026, and assign to the said Ms C M Shinga generally the powers and functions of the Member of the Executive Council for Health.” This acting appointment comes at a turbulent time for Shinga, as she is embroiled in a disciplinary dispute with the NFP.
In December last year, the NFP suspended Shinga from her position as the chairperson of the party’s KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Committee, following her defiance of party directives during a motion of no confidence vote in the provincial legislature. Shinga, who is a member of theGovernment of Provincial Unity(GPU), went against instructions from NFP president Ivan Barnes by supporting a motion of no confidence brought by theMK Partyagainst the IFP’s provincial chairperson and Premier Ntuli. The party said Shinga’s membership would be suspended for a period of three months, pending the outcome of a disciplinary inquiry.
