The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has publicly called on Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli to remove Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi, accusing him of weaponising provincial intervention powers against ANC-led municipalities. The call, reported by SABC News on 27 August 2025, marks the sharpest escalation yet in a coalition dispute that has simmered within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity for over a year.
ANC provincial spokesperson Fanele Sibiya, quoted by The Witness on 16 July 2025, accused Buthelezi of turning Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution — a mechanism designed as a last resort for failing municipalities — into a political instrument. “The ANC is appalled by the continued misuse of Section 139(1)(b) by the MEC, who has turned what should be a last-resort mechanism into a political weapon selectively deployed against ANC-led municipalities,” Sibiya said.
The flashpoint is uMkhanyakude District Municipality, which Buthelezi placed under administration amid disputes over governance and service delivery. The ANC argues the intervention was politically motivated, pointing to what it calls a pattern of selective targeting. The IFP, however, has pushed back, saying the decision on uMkhanyakude was taken by the provincial executive council, not by Buthelezi alone.
An ANC source quoted by SABC News was blunt about the party’s frustration. “We are dealing with an MEC who is hellbent on using his position as a partisan tool to fight the ANC,” the source said. “This is enough now. We have called on the Premier to remove Reverend Buthelezi from Cogta.”
The dispute is not new. The Witness reported in October 2024 that coalition tensions in KZN were partly driven by disagreements over Buthelezi’s municipal interventions. In December 2024, Premier Ntuli blocked Buthelezi’s plan to open a third ministerial office in Ulundi, signalling unease within the provincial government itself. Scrolla.Africa reported on 27 August 2025 that the ANC’s frustration ran so deep the party nearly walked out of the Government of Provincial Unity — though that claim rests on a single outlet’s reporting attributed to insiders and has not been independently confirmed.
The IFP has firmly rejected suggestions of any cabinet reshuffle. IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa, quoted by The Mercury in November 2025, said: “There is no iota of truth to the effect of the IFP making any concessions to a cabinet reshuffle. There is no reshuffle.” The Mercury reported that tensions over Buthelezi’s role had nonetheless fuelled ongoing speculation about broader coalition strain.
The conflict underscores a structural tension in KZN’s coalition arrangement: the IFP holds the Cogta portfolio, which gives it direct authority over municipal interventions, while the ANC governs several of the municipalities most affected. As the 2026 local elections approach, control over municipal administrations carries heightened political significance.
What remains unconfirmed is whether Premier Ntuli has taken any formal steps toward removing Buthelezi, or whether back-channel negotiations between the ANC and IFP are under way. No official statement from the premier’s office has addressed the ANC’s removal demand. Cape Flats will monitor developments and update this story as new information emerges from official sources.