The NFP, which holds a swing vote in the newly formed government of provincial unity n KwaZulu-Natal, believes there is a plot by elements linked to the organisation and “others in the IFP” to sow divisions within the party.
According to senior party leaders who spoke to the Sunday World, the plot seeks to influence NFP members to revolt against its president, Irvin Barnes.
“We started noticing that something was amiss when, together with some of our councillors in Zululand district, we were called into a meeting.
“One guy who identified himself as Lungisani Ndwandwe stood up. He said if we assisted ‘them’ in removing Barnes we will never go hungry in our lives. We were shocked,” Khanyisani Nxumalo, an NFP councillor in eDumbe local municipality revealed to Sunday World.
He said angry councillors walked out of the meeting after realising that it was an ambush.
“When I was called, I was told that the University of Zululand was offering bursaries to councillors who wanted to study and they were going to make a presentation.
“These people don’t respect us. We won’t sell our souls,” Nxumalo said.
Milton Sokhela, NFP deputy president accused suspended secretary Teddy Thwala of engineering the plot.
“He is causing mayhem and he claims that he represents the NFP but he is working tirelessly with our enemies and others in the IFP to destroy us. But they won’t win, the NFP is united behind the president and his decisions,” said Sokhela.
Another NFP councillor, Zethembe Ngubane, confirmed that he was part of the meeting held at Nyanya Resort, outside Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, last week.
“Prior to that meeting, I got a call from an anonymous caller and the caller said: “Nizolamba kudliwa madoda uma nidlala uBarnes,” meaning, “You will watch while others are feasting if you continue to be misled by Barnes.”
Fear and mistrust have been rife that the government of provincial unity formed by the ANC, DA, IFP and NFP would collapse following the rifts between the NFP and the IFP. At the heart of the schism is the failure of the IFP to support Barnes in his ambition to become the mayor of Zululand district municipality.
The post was left vacant when Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi left to be MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs under the new administration led by IFP provincial chairperson Thamsanqa Ntuli.
During the council meeting to elect the mayor, the IFP fielded its own candidate, Michael Khumalo, who went on to be elected mayor, leaving the NFP seething with anger.
Barnes confirmed to Sunday World that the impasse had not been resolved.
“We are still waiting for the IFP to come back to us,” Barnes said in short.
If the NFP, which announced in the eleventh hour to form a government led by the IFP, were to withdraw from the pact, it would likely collapse the minority government.
Thwala issued a statement this week blaming Barnes of acting as an agent. He said there was no decision which said Barnes should be a mayoral candidate. He accused Barnes of being on a personal enrichment exercise.
Thwala, a former leader of the UDM in KwaZulu-Natal, denied he was in cahoots with the IFP and said that Sokhela’s accusations were part of a political ploy to get rid of him at all costs.
“They are peddling lies about me. I’m a loyal member of the NFP. They are angry because of what happened in Zululand district. I’m not working with the IFP and harbour no ambitions of joining the IFP,” said Thwala.
IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa denied the NFP’s claims.
“The IFP holds no brief for NFP disunity. The IFP remains committed to the ongoing engagements with the NFP, and we are confident that an amicable solution will be found. This notwithstanding that there is in actual fact no local government agreement between the two parties,” said Hlengwa.
