National Freedom Party

For the defunct party in Trinidad and Tobago, see National Freedom Party (Trinidad and Tobago).

The National Freedom Party (NFP) is a South African political party. It was launched on 25 January 2011 by Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, former chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), along with other former IFP members.^[2] Similar to the IFP, the party's main base is in KwaZulu-Natal.

National Freedom Party
Abbreviation	NFP
Leader	Ivan Rowan Barnes[1]
Secretary-General	Teddy Thwala
Founder	Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi
Founded	25 January 2011 (2011-01-25)
Split from	Inkatha Freedom Party
Ideology	Social democracy Egalitarianism
Political position	Centre-left
Colours	Orange   Green
National Assembly seats	0 / 400
NCOP seats	0 / 90
Provincial Legislatures	1 / 430
Politics of South Africa Political parties Elections

History

In the 2011 municipal election, the NFP received 2.4% of the votes cast in South Africa,^[3] and 10.4% of the votes cast in KwaZulu-Natal province.^[4] It won a majority of seats in the eDumbe Local Municipality and a plurality in Nongoma Local Municipality. Following the 2014 South African general election, the party's leader Magwaza-Msibi was appointed to the position of Deputy Minister of Science and Technology.^[5] The party was disqualified from participating in the 2016 municipal election as it had failed to pay the election fee to the Independent Electoral Commission.^[6]

The party contested the 2019 general elections and its support levels dropped.^[7] The party lost four seats in the National Assembly, bringing their seat total to only two seats. In KwaZulu-Natal, the party's support was greatly diminished. The party had lost five seats in the provincial legislature, but managed to win a single seat, occupied by the party's National Organizer, Cynthia Mbali Shinga. Magwaza-Msibi was not reappointed to the cabinet and resigned as an MP on 20 June 2019, citing her intention to rebuild the party.^[8]

On 6 September 2021, shortly before the 2021 South African municipal elections, Magwaza-Msibi died from a COVID-19-related cardiac arrest.^[9]

The party won 170,616 votes, 0.56% of the national total, in the elections, winning back one municipality it formerly ran in 2011 to 2016, the eDumbe Local Municipality.^[8]

A party conference elected Ivan Rowan Barnes as president and Teddy Thwala as secretary-general in December 2023. The election was disputed by former secretary-general Canaan Mdletshe.^[10]

Before the 2024 South African general election Thwala and Barnes fell out. Thwala tried to stop the submission of the electoral lists to the Independent Electoral Commission in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, but failed.^[11]

Election results

National Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Total votes	Share of vote	Seats	+/–	Government
2014	Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi	288,742	1.57%	6 / 400	New	Opposition
2019		61,220	0.35%	2 / 400	4	Opposition
2024	Ivan Rowan Barnes	19,397	0.12%[a]	0 / 400	2	Extra-parliamentary

1. From 2024, seats in the National Assembly are determined by a combination of the national ballot, and the nine regional ballots. Only the national ballot figures are shown here.

Provincial elections

Election[12][13]	Eastern Cape		Free State		Gauteng		Kwazulu-Natal		Limpopo		Mpumalanga		North-West		Northern Cape		Western Cape
	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats	%	Seats
2014	0.16	0/63	0.11	0/30	0.47	0/73	7.31	6/80	0.04	0/49	0.75	0/30	0.15	0/33	0.03	0/30	0.04	0/42
2019	0.03	0/63	0.03	0/30	0.07	0/73	1.57	1/80	0.01	0/49	0.12	0/30	0.06	0/33	0.04	0/30	0.11	0/42
2024			0.03	0/30	0.03	0/80	0.56	1/80			0.04	0/51

Municipal elections

Election	Votes	%
2011	644,917	2.4%
2016[14]	5,224	0.01%
2021[15]	170,616	0.56%

Breakaway parties

A number of small parties have broken away from the NFP, including the Abantu Batho Congress, the African People's Movement, formed by former chairperson Vikizitha Mlotshwa, and the National People's Front, formed by former national deputy chairperson Bheki Gumbi.^[16]

Former NFP member of parliament Munzoor Shaik Emam joined the Allied Movement for Change and took over as party leader.^[17]

References

1. @NFP_Updates (17 December 2023). "The Elected NEC of the NFP led by the President Ivan Rowan Barnes" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. "Magwaza-Msibi launches National Freedom Party". The New Age. 26 January 2011.
3. "Results Summary - All Ballots: All Provinces" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
4. "Results Summary - All Ballots: KwaZulu-Natal" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
5. "Parliament of the Republic of South Africa - Parliament of South Africa".
6. Mthetwa, Bongani (21 July 2016). "NFP in last-ditch court bid to contest local government elections". Business Day Live. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
7. "NFP admits defeat, but 'humbled' by continued support". The Citizen. 9 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
8. Mkhwanazi, Siyabonga (21 June 2019). "Magwaza-Msibi to focus on 'building NFP', as she resigns as MP". The Citizen. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
9. "National Freedom Party leader Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi dies". News24. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
10. "NFP leadership squabbles continue". SABC. 18 December 2023.
11. "NFP factions in unity talks, but Barnes Thwala at odds". IOL. 2 April 2024.
12. "2014 National and Provincial Elections Results - 2014 National and Provincial Election Results". IEC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
13. "Results Dashboard". www.elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
14. "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
15. "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). elections.org.za. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
16. "Upcoming municipal elections sees an increase of small parties". connectradio.co.za. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
17. Makhafola, Gertrude (20 April 2024). "NFP dispels tribalism, calls for unity 'guided by the spirit of Sankara'". The Citizen.