KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport‚ Community Safety and Liaison Mxolisi Kaunda has called on National Freedom Party (NFP) leaders to engage their members to ensure that stability in the province ahead of the local government elections is not compromised. Kaunda made the remarks after meeting the NFP leadership in the province to discuss issues relating to illegal protests led by their members in various parts of the province.The protests‚ which started in Ulundi and spread to other parts of the province‚ follows the decision by the Electoral Court that the NFP cannot contest most of the municipalities in Kwazulu-Natal due to the party’s failure to comply with payment deadlines.Twenty-eight NFP members were arrested and released on warning by the Babanango Magistrate Court for public violence and holding an illegal protest.The NFP leadership was led at Saturday’s meeting by its provincial chairperson‚ Erickson Zungu. The meeting was also attended by top police management in the province.Kaunda said it was important for the NFP leadership to ensure that the hard-won stability in the province was not reversed and appealed for calm.“We sympathise with the NFP on the current developments. However‚ they must refuse to be part of any instability in the province. Random and illegal protests have a potential of causing havoc in the province and this must be discouraged. All gatherings must be held following legal processes and necessary permits must be obtained from relevant local authorities‚” said Kaunda.He reiterated the need for a conducive environment ahead of the elections and expressed optimism that working together‚ government and political parties‚ would deliver peaceful elections in the province. ..