The National Freedom Party has formally notified the Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature that NFP president Ivan Rowan Barnes will replace Mbali Shinga as the party's representative in the provincial legislature.
The move follows the dismissal of Shinga's appeal against her expulsion from the party.
In correspondence sent to the Legislature, the NFP confirmed that Shinga was found guilty of misconduct and gross insubordination through an internal disciplinary process. The party further stated that her appeal was dismissed on 30 May 2026, making her expulsion final.
According to the party, Shinga therefore ceases to qualify as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature because she is no longer a member of the political party that nominated her.
The NFP has subsequently nominated its president, Ivan Barnes, to fill the vacancy and has requested that the Legislature facilitate his swearing-in without delay.
The development marks the latest chapter in a dispute that has dominated discussion within the NFP for months and effectively ends Shinga's tenure as both an NFP member and MPL.
Shinga had become one of the party's most visible figures in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly in northern parts of the province where she led mobilisation programmes, recruitment drives and community engagements.
With Barnes now set to enter the Legislature, the NFP appears focused on drawing a line under the matter and consolidating its leadership around the party president.
However, political questions remain.
One of the issues likely to attract attention in the coming days is whether coalition partners, particularly the IFP, will comment on Shinga's departure. While the matter remains an internal NFP issue, some of Shinga's supporters argue that she played an important role during a period when coalition politics in KwaZulu-Natal were under intense scrutiny.
For now, attention shifts to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature and the expected swearing-in of Ivan Barnes as the NFP's newest MPL.