The battle lines have been drawn for the soul of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) between the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party(MKP).
The MKP want the Premier of KZN Thani Ntuli removed as the leader of the province through the motion of the confidence which will take place on 15 December at the KZN Legislature.
On Monday, during the IFP NEC meeting, the party threw their weight behind Ntuli accusing the MKP of wanting to destabilising the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
In a statement released by the IFP on Monday, the party said: “The IFP reaffirms its full confidence in the Premier of KZN Thami Ntuli, ahead of the baseless motion of no confidence brought by the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (MKP). This motion represents a reckless attempt to destabilise the province at a time when KZN requires focused governance and continuity.
Under Premier Ntuli’s leadership, KwaZulu-Natal has made notable strides, including securing R100 billion in investment—signifying investor confidence in the province’s stability and direction. If the MKP truly believes it has legitimate concerns, it should submit them to the appropriate oversight bodies rather than resorting to political theatrics. Moreover, the MKP must prioritise pressing issues of its own making—especially the safe return of South Africans misled into travelling to Russia to engage in a conflict they neither understood nor consented to,” the statement read.
Responding to the IFP statement, MKP National Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the party is making a clear call to all members, supporters and progressive forces across the province to unite behind the Vote of No Confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli and the DA-led government.
“This province cannot continue under a coalition whose political DNA is rooted in protecting privilege, preserving elite control and maintaining the economic structures that keep the African majority on the margins of their own land.
“From the beginning, this coalition was never a government of the people, it was a political experiment engineered to stabilise minority interests at the expense of the suffering black working class. Its purpose has been to manage the crisis of poverty, instead of transforming the conditions that produce it. That is why unemployment grows, services collapse and inequality widens while those who claim to govern, busy themselves with defending inherited power,” he said.
Ndhlela said that the Vote of No Confidence is a confrontation between two visions, one that protects the old order and another that seeks to dismantle it so that the resources of Kwa-Zulu Natal serve the people who built this province with their labour and sacrifice.
“We call upon all progressive Members of the Legislature to recognise that neutrality in a moment of injustice is a luxury of the powerful. The people have spoken through their lived experience, through their poverty, through their exclusion. They want a government that understands their struggle, not one that treats their suffering as background noise to elite negotiations.
“The MK Party is prepared to work with any force committed to breaking the hold of neoliberal governance in KwaZulu Natal. We are ready to build a government rooted in the will of the people, accountable to the people and guided by the clear understanding that true political power belongs to those who produce and sustain society, not those who exploit it,” he said.