Police called as NFP's rift over KZN coalition govt turns violent

Leader Barnes wants out of GPU, moves for MK deal

- By Queenin Masuabi

The National Freedom Party (NFP) is teetering on the edge of an internal rupture, with senior figures accusing party president Ivan Barnes of strong-arming decisions and sidelining constitutional processes a power struggle that ended in a physical confrontation that forced police intervention this week.

What began as a disciplinary hearing meant to rein in dissent has instead laid bare a party split into competing camps, as allegations mount that Barnes is attempting to drag the NFP out of KwaZulu-Natal's government of provincial unity (GPU) and into the orbit of the MK Party, without the backing of the national executive committee (NEC).

Manqoba Dlamini, the chairperson of the NFP's uThukela district, has emerged as one of the faces of the internal resistance.

Dlamini, who was involved in the recent scuffle with Barnes, describes the president as an “opportunist” who is prioritising personal gain over the party’s constitutional processes.