For a second, I thought it was something of a masterclass how EFF leader, Julius Malema handled the press conference in which his former right-hand man and Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu announced his departure from the party.
The maturity Malema displayed was stuff of brilliance.
He seemingly processed and accepted the moment with dignity, poise, believability and respect as evidenced by some of what he said:
“I stand before you to accept the resignation of the Deputy President of the EFF, who has voluntarily resigned his positions and did not renew his membership. When he sent me a letter yesterday, I felt the same pain as when I received the news of the passing of my mother. Because Floyd to me is not just a comrade, he is a brother. And he will remain a brother even when he pursues his political career differently.”
Malema gave credit to Shivambu’s role in the formation of the party, and even left the door open for Shivambu’s return, saying:
“We formed this organisation together, and I have told him, that resigning from the EFF is equal to resigning from himself. Because this is his organisation. 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 Floyd, that the day you decide to come back, you are more than welcome.”
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But oh, what a difference a week makes in politics.
Right on cue, Malema and his so-called ground forces, which he gathered on Monday, 19 August 2024, in Soweto, in what the party calls the Provincial Ground Forces Forum, unashamedly went on the attack.
Malema opened his address by singing the song Makuliwe (mean let there be a fight/let us fight), a theme that was ever-present in the brief speeches at the event, permeated by theme of betrayal by Shivambu.
A situation which the party fears will spark further departures especially in the run-up to the EFF’s elective conference in December 2024.
After telling those still unsure of their loyalty to the EFF to “Leave Now”, Malema also announced his (un)intended consolidation of power as a result of Shivambu’s exit, saying:
“The GTU [Governance Task Unit] shall fall under the Office of the President, and all powers that belonged to the Deputy President will go into the Office of the President. And everything else that looks like the former Deputy President shall be dismantled in the EFF and then gotten rid of with immediate effect.”
So, the gloves are indeed off, now we watch what’s next in this public breakup, which I uncreatively call the EFF telenovela.
If you have the time, you can watch Malema’s address below:
