KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has once again survived a motion of no confidence brought by uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) over alleged financial mismanagement and wasteful expenditure.
MK Party leader Jacob Zuma, his daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, and other senior party members attended the sitting.
Ntuli emerged politically unscathed after a tense and chaotic session of the provincial legislature.
Chaos erupted inside the legislature moments after speaker Nontobeko Boyce announced that the motion had failed.
MK Party members surged towards the front of the chamber, blocking Boyce from leaving her seat and bringing proceedings to a halt.
The standoff quickly escalated into violence, with police officers intervening and a scuffle breaking out between law enforcers and MK Party members inside the legislature.
Amid the turmoil, one member of the legislature appeared to collapse during the confrontation, further heightening alarm inside the chamber.
Despite the unfolding disorder, there were no visible emergency medical services entering the legislature.
Secret ballot rejected
The chaos followed a prolonged and heated back-and-forth between the Boyce and MK Party members over the party’s demand for a secret ballot.
Boyce rejected the request, insisting that the vote proceed openly.
MK Party members were demanding a secret ballot, hoping to get more support from ANC and IFP members.
They hold 37 seats in the 80-seat legislature and needed 41 supporting votes for the motion to be successful.
Boyce instructed members who supported the motion to stand up, those opposing it to remain seated, and those who chose to abstain to raise their hands while seated.
However, when the count was conducted, several MK Party members were not at their designated seats and were therefore not counted.
This ultimately resulted in the motion failing, triggering the explosive scenes that followed and casting a shadow over an already fraught sitting of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
Gender-based violence
Ntuli condemned the behaviour, accusing the MK Party and EFF of gender-based violence for attacking Boyce.
“We are saying to the people of KwaZulu-Natal that the government of provincial unity is here to stay. The IFP will continue to contribute to changing the lives of the people of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Ntuli.
“We are urging uMkhonto weSizwe to bring back those children. Mothers are crying because their children were sent to Russia.
“Human trafficking plagues this country, and I’m uncertain about the actions of the MK Party in KwaZulu-Natal.
“[They are] taking young people to Russia without parents’ agreement; this may be viewed as human trafficking.”
He claimed that even some of the MK Party members are leaving the party for the IFP.
