The ousting of KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu will undoubtedly cause political instability in the province, the National Freedom Party (NFP) said on Wednesday.

The party expected that his supporters would be removed from their positions in the provincial cabinet, it said in a statement.

While it congratulated Willies Mchunu on his election as the new premier, the NFP was concerned about how Senzo Mchunu was removed.

The NFP said it had heard that councillors and African National Congress (ANC) members who supported Senzo Mchunu intended to make their dissatisfaction known ahead of the August 3 local government elections.

“This is going to affect all of us and we are worried that it may lead to violence in the province. The unceremonious manner in which Mchunu was removed also means that we should expect an unstable economic outlook, as the markets will not respond kindly to this.”

The NFP said it would support the new premier. It called on him to put the people's needs above the needs of the ANC.