Tensions are high in KwaZulu-Natal today as political parties take to the streets of Pietermaritzburg for a showdown over who runs the province.
The Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP) has organized a mass march to the provincial legislature, aiming to pressure officials during a critical vote of no confidence against Premier Thami Ntuli.
According to a report by The Mercury on 15 December 2025, the MKP is mobilizing supporters to gather at the Unisa campus before moving to the legislature to demand that leadership returns to what they call the majority party.
MKP leader Bonginkosi Khanyile urged members to show up in strong numbers to support the removal of the current government.
He said, “We are ousting Premier Thami Ntuli… Things are bad; the province should be governed by the party that was voted for by the people.”
The EFF has also thrown its weight behind the motion. EFF spokesperson Chris Msibi stated that the current Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) has failed residents, claiming, “Our province is stagnant; they have not completed a single project.”
However, the parties currently in charge are not backing down. The DA, IFP, and ANC have all promised to bring their own supporters to defend the current administration.
IFP leader Blessed Gwala dismissed the motion as an attempt to cause instability. He said the opposing parties “only want to cause chaos” and accused them of trying to access provincial funds for their own gain.
The result of the vote remains uncertain and may depend on the National Freedom Party (NFP).
While NFP President Ivan Barnes confirmed they would vote to remove the premier, the party’s only member actually sitting in the legislature, MEC Mbali Shinga, previously said she would not vote against the unity government. This internal split makes the final count difficult to predict.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) criticized the move as a political game that hurts service delivery. In a statement, the party said they would picket to highlight “the importance of stable, accountable governance in KZN and the DA’s firm stance against politically motivated attempts to destabilise the province.”
