Senior leaders of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were aware of Deputy President Floyd Shivambu’s plans to defect to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), but the party’s commander-in-chief Julius Malema was deliberately kept in the dark, Mr Shivambu has revealed.
In a candid interview with Sizwe Mpofu-Welsh on the SMWX podcast, Mr Shivambu disclosed that several party officials had pleaded with him to keep his departure plans secret from Mr Malema.
“The majority of leaders in the EFF knew I was going to join MKP,” Mr Shivambu said. “Some officials came to beg me, asking that I shouldn’t tell the president.”
Mr Shivambu, who resigned from his position as EFF deputy president and parliamentary member in August, claims to be the architect behind many of the party’s distinctive features.
“I conceptualised the EFF: the name, references of Commissars, Commander-in-Chief, seven cardinal pillars, the founding manifesto, and all its key documents,” he told the podcast.
Mass Exodus Concerns
The revelation comes amid growing concerns about potential mass defections from the EFF. Mr Shivambu, now serving as the MK Party’s national organiser, said he rejected suggestions from some EFF leaders who wanted to follow him.
“Joining a political party as a group is not sustainable, it is not disciplined,” he explained, adding that such moves go against proper organisational and political culture.
Wider Impact
The EFF has already experienced significant losses, including the departure of former MP and public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who has also joined the MK Party. Several provincial leaders have likewise announced their exit from the party.
Mr Shivambu defended his decision to leave, describing it as “revolutionary” and “the correct path in the history of politics.”
The developments mark a significant shift in South Africa’s political landscape, potentially weakening the EFF’s position as the country’s third-largest political party while strengthening the newly-formed MK Party’s influence.
Despite the tensions his departure has caused, Mr Shivambu maintains he will not actively recruit EFF members to the MK Party, stating that “they will join if they want.”
