S.Africa: Black Politics in Turmoil: EFF bleeds on after Shivambu exits party
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Durban — The unceremonious departure of the EFF’s deputy president Floyd Shivambu has left the Red Berets reeling from the gaping political wound.
It has since emerged that some members were starting to ditch the party in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga in favour of the Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
Shivambu, who has been accused in the controversial VBS looting scandal, announced his exit from the EFF on Thursday. He left the party that he co-founded with leader Julius Malema when they were both expelled from the ANC in 2012.
The EFF provincial secretary in KZN, Nkululeko Ngubane, said the exit of Shivambu was a “big blow” to the party. “It is a big blow, my brother,” he told the Daily News.
The EFF bagged 6% of the votes straight after its formation in 2013 when it contested its first national election in 2014. Bouyed by the results, it secured 11% of the votes in 2019.
“The EFF will not recover from the departure of Shivambu’s exit. He was one of the people who held the party together,” said Sibongiseni Ngcobo, former KZN chairperson of the party.
“I am following him wherever he is going. He is the reason why I joined the EFF,” added Ngcobo.
Another EFF member, Thabo Ndlovu, said: “Shivambu has been a pillar of the EFF and has always put the interests of the party first. When he announced that he was leaving, I said I would leave with him.”
There has been growing speculation that Malema and Shivambu were politically sparring behind the scenes over a litany of issues, including that Malema’s preferred choice for deputy president was Marshall Dlamini, the current secretary-general, as the party prepared for an elective conference in December.
The fallout between Malema and Shivambu has been building for at least two years, with some members pushing for Shivambu to replace Malema as leader.
But citing the odds that were stacked against him, Shivambu decided to bow out to join the MKP, where he is reportedly expected to take a senior leadership position in the party that has 58 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly, and 37 in the 80-member KZN provincial legislature.
Attempts to obtain comments from Malema and Shivambu were unsuccessful on Monday.
Shivambu had already informed his branch in ward 44, Johannesburg, that he would not be renewing his membership of the EFF.
He will also be relinquishing his position in Parliament, where he served as chief whip of the party.
Shivambu left the EFF with the spokesperson of the JG Zuma Foundation, Mzwanele Manyi.
Former Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, was also expected to resign.
Veronica Mente, the national chairperson of the EFF, along with many other EFF members, were also likely to leave the Red Berets.
A visibly shaken Malema likened the pain of Shivambu’s departure from the EFF to his mother’s death.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said: “The cracks in the EFF have been building between Malema and Shivambu for some years. However, they have been able to quell growing tension.
“It is now an open war between those who support Malema and those backing Shivambu.”
Like Malema, Seepe said that this was a testing time for the EFF and personally for Malema.
“Malema will have to show his leadership skills and move the EFF forward. Internally, the party has a lot to do in terms of revisiting itself to a modern party. This will be a testing time for Malema and the core leadership to pull the party from the brink of collapse,” said Seepe.
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