DA KZN chairperson Dean McPherson has written to the NFP to ask for a meeting.
Phando Jikelo/RSA Parliament
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has asked for a meeting with the NFP following its exit from the GPU.The DA says it wants to understand the NFP’s problems,and says it valued the party as a coalition partner.The NFP made the shock announcement that it was exiting the GPU last week.
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has requested an audience with the National Freedom Party (NFP) following its departure from the provincial unity government (GPU).
News24 has seen a letter written by the DA’s provincial chairperson,Dean Macpherson,to the NFP’s acting secretary-general,Sunset Xaba,requesting a meeting following the recent challenges and strain in the GPU.
Macpherson,in the letter dated 13 January,opened by asserting that the latest developments in the province’s governance are what preoccupy the minds of all residents who call the province home.
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He went on to say that the DA has been part of coalitions at the local,provincial,and national government levels for years and understood the importance of listening to and addressing any issues that other coalition partners might have.
“We still regard the NFP as partners for progress in KwaZulu-Natal and have always had cordial relations with your party during our engagements in government.”
Macpherson added:
As the Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal,we would welcome an opportunity to meet with your leadership to better understand some of the issues that have been raised publicly by your president and seek solutions to them as a partner in the province.
He wrote that the DA was ready to meet with the NFP at its convenience.
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News24 understands,from NFP sources,that the DA’s requests will be tabled to the NFP’s national executive committee,which will formally respond to the DA’s requests.
READ | NFP temporarily suspends Mbali Shinga’s membership amid GPU fallout
The DA’s request to meet with the NFP follows the ANC’s statement last week,in which it also announced that it would seek a bilateral meeting with the NFP to discuss the implications of the party’s decision to withdraw from the GPU.
“The ANC respects the fact that the NFP has a right to make decisions about its allegiances. However,the ANC will seek bilateral engagement with the NFP to discuss the party’s latest alleged stance. In these engagements with the NFP,the ANC would want to engage the NFP particularly on the wider implications of its alleged decision,beyond the GPU,” said the coordinator of the ANC in KZN,Mike Mabuyakhulu,at the time.
The tension in the GPU started in December after the NFP’s provincial chairperson and sole member in the legislature,Mbali Shinga,defied party directives during a vote of no confidence in Premier Thami Ntuli. Shinga,who also serves as the Social Development MEC,voted against the party line,sparking internal conflict.
READ | ANC seeks urgent talks with NFP over shock KZN coalition withdrawal decision
On Friday,the NFP announced that it had temporarily suspended Shinga’s membership for three months,pending the conclusion of her disciplinary inquiry.
The party had also directed Shinga to vacate her position as an MEC in the GPU,which she refused.
Speaker of the legislature,Nontembeko Boyce,also rejected a request by the NFP to bar Shinga from participating in the legislature. In her response to the NFP,Boyce stated that the response was contrary to the Constitution,which guides the legislature.
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The NFP holds one seat in the 80-member legislature,whereas the MK Party has 37,the IFP 15,the ANC 14,the DA 11,and the EFF two.
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