Divisions deepen in NFP

Published May 22, 2015

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Durban - Leadership divisions in the National Freedom Party are deepening with the latest developments being the suspension of key leaders who now face disciplinary action for various charges.

As the party implodes, party leader Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi is still nowhere to be seen. She was last seen in the public sphere before she fell ill late last year.

Party deputy president Alex Kekana’s suspension was withdrawn last week, apparently after he had pleaded for mercy and apologised.

Kekana had been accused of going against the party’s policies by participating in authorising the expulsion of national organiser Sipho Mbatha.

“Charges against the deputy president were withdrawn after he appeared before the National Working Committee to distance himself from illegal action of the national executive committee. He said he was forced to commit the offence,” said National Working Committee member Mziwamandla Mzobe.

Eight other senior members received suspension letters on Wednesday. They were national chairman Maliyakhe Shelembe, deputy national chairman Scelo Mabika, secretary-general Professor Nhlanhla Khubisa, women’s league president Cindy Maphumulo-Mashinini, KwaZulu-Natal chairman Vikizitha Mlotshwa, Bonga Nzuza and Joseph Ngema. They described their suspension as “madness, opportunism and laughable”.

“We are waiting for their disciplinary hearing date,” said Mzobe.

According to the letters, they are not allowed to carry out party duties or enter party offices.

However, Khubisa invited media to a press briefing at the party’s head office in Durban on Thursday to talk about the suspensions.

Mzobe resigned as provincial secretary two month ago because of the internal squabbles. He said Mlotshwa had been charged with creating “ghost branches” and also firing councillors in the Mtubatuba, Umvoti, uThungulu and Okhahlamba municipalities.

He could not say if KaMagwaza-Msibi had been told about these suspensions or not.

An eThekwini councillor, Wiseman Mcoyi, who was party to the suspensions, said KaMagwaza-Msibi would be updated when she resumed party duties next month.

“Shelembe responded to the suspension letters on behalf of himself and other national executive committee members, but he failed to respond to the actual charges. Instead, he argued that the national executive was the only one with a right to suspend.”

We argued that the national working committee reserves those powers as the highest decision-making body,” he said

 

Mcoyi said the suspended leaders would continue as MPs, MPLs and councillors until the outcome of the disciplinary hearings. In the meanwhile, the national working committee would take over the duties of the national executive.

A senior party leader said Kekana apologised and pleaded that he had signed Mbatha’s expulsion, which had been disguised as a resignation, “fearing for his safety”.

 

When contacted on Thursday, Khubisa said: “We will continue to use our national office. We cannot be controlled by the likes of Mzobe.”

Shelembe said he had been suspended by the “so-called uMhlanga national working committee group”.

“Let them go ahead with whatever they want to do, but at some point they will face the consequences.”

The Mercury

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