Former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu.
Floyd Shivambu has served Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with divorce papers to wed former President Jacob Zuma’s new political toy uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) Party.
Malema received Shivambu’s resignation letter on Wednesday and also another notable much travelled politician Jimmy Manyi quietly left the EFF on Monday. He will also regret having tea with Zuma at his home in Nkandla because his members are leaving his party to join MK Party.
Tension between Malema and Shivambu has been escalating for a while and the VBS saga has also added more fuel to their relationship, EFF sources confirmed that it was only a matter of time because also EFF didn’t do well during the national and provincial elections which gave birth to MK Party becoming the third largest political party which moved the EFF to the fourth position.
Reportedly Malema is an autocratic leader who is a narcissist and pompous.
EFF insiders said he removed Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi from being a spokesperson and face of the party because he felt that he was becoming more popular than him. Earlier, Malema’s childhood friend Jossey Buthane, former EFF provincial leader in Limpopo returned to the ANC citing that Malema is a tyrannical egocentric pompous leader.
During a media briefing at the EFF’s headquarters, Winnie Madikizela Mandela House in Johannesburg on Thursday, Shivambu said he won’t renew his membership and requested to be recused from all his party duties including his position as a member of parliament.
He said however that dumping the EFF for MK Party should not be seen as him losing confidence in the party.
“My none renewal of the EFF membership is not a vote of no confidence in the organisation but a revolutionary act that will allow progressive forces to unite and work towards the agenda,” he said.
A distraught Malema who accepted Shivambu’s resignation said: “Floyd to me, he is not just a comrade, he is a brother, and he will remain a brother even when he pursues his political career differently. The constitution of the EFF does not allow people to resign and join other Political parties and come back to the party. But I have made this offer to Shivambu that the day you decide to come back, you are more than welcome.”
“Floyd is not the only one, Jimmy Manyi has also resigned to go and join MK and there will be many others who are going to leave the EFF because they have their loyalty and support to the deputy president but fighters on the ground should be prepared for more people to follow and this should not as a point of collapse for the EFF.”
Malema said despite that this was a testing moment for the EFF he will not hurl insults at each other and won't be speaking badly about each other.
EFF leader Julius Malema under the microscope.
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