NFP President Ivan Barnes might be in trouble with his own party following a letter informing him that he has been suspended and will be subjected to disciplinary process.
A fresh round of internal conflict has erupted within the National Freedom Party (NFP) after party president Ivan Barnes was suspended just a day after announcing the reinstatement of KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Mbali Shinga in compliance with a court order.
In a letter dated Saturday, NFP national chairperson Sibusiso Mkhabela informed Barnes that he had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing. Mkhabela said he was acting both on behalf of the party's leadership structures and in his capacity as national chairperson.
The suspension comes amid escalating tensions within the party, with some members describing the latest developments as a tit-for-tat battle between rival factions.
As the suspension letter circulated on social media, Shinga had already resumed her party and government duties following a Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling on Friday that temporarily set aside her expulsion from the NFP. She was reportedly participating in voter registration campaigns on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast in her capacity as MEC for Social Development.
