Canaan Mdletshe has resigned as Secretary-General of the National Freedom Party (NFP) over the party’s coalition pact with the ANC and DA in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mdletshe said the coalition agreement had nothing to do with serving the interests of the people of KZN, but about self enrichment.
Earlier this week, the Daily News reported Mdletshe as saying that he NFP would not betray the people by going into a coalition with the DA.
Mdletshe was one of the most senior members of the party, having been with the party since its formation in 2011 under the leadership of the late Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi.
There has been speculation that Mdletshe had resigned from the NFP to join new kid on the block, the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), while others suggested that he could not handle the pressure.
A screenshot of Mdletshe’s announcement of his resignation, has been making the rounds on social media platform X,
It reads: “Since elected as the Secretary-General, I served the party; Her Excellency Pres VZ KaMagwaza-Msibi well. In 2021, I singlehandedly crisscrossed the length and breadth of our country, campaigning for the NFP, resulting in the party achieving far beyond the expectations as we managed to get 56 councillors from one we had in 2016. Today, the NFP has a public representation in the North West province, which is one the highlights for my contributions in the NFP. I must admit, it was a privilege and honour for me to serve under Pres KaMagwaza-Msibi because of her foresight and vision, which can never be matched.
“I leave with my head high as I have served the NFP to the best of my ability.
“But, as earlier indicated, I cannot continue serving in an organization that has shown voters a middle finger.
This decision has got nothing to do with serving the interests of the people of KwaZulu-Natal but its about self enrichment,” said Mdletshe.
South Africans took to X with mixed views about Mdletshe’s decision.
“He should have just joined MK from the start instead of this drama. All the tribalists are there. The minimum requirements there are Zulu tribe or facing criminal charges,” wrote McMadibi.
“Ka Magwaza served in the ANC cabinet whilst being the President of NFP and you didn’t resign,” wrote King Django.
“Man of honour, we appreciate you with people like you, our province will rise again,” wrote Bonginkosimkhi5.
In a surprising turn, the MK Party won a majority of 37 seats in the 80-member KZN legislature, trumping the ANC which previously controlled the province. It was followed by the IFP with 15 seats, the ANC 14, DA 11, EFF two and NFP one.
The NFP has been rocked by a litany of internal power struggles since the death of KaMagwaza-Msibi, and losing its main power base in KZN with many of its supporters returning to the IFP.
The Star