Floyd Shivambu has dealt the EFF a blow with his defection to the former president Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Picture: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers / File
EFF leader Julius Malema has said the news of his deputy president Floyd Shivambu’s resignation from the party equals the news of the death of his mother.
Shivambu sent his letter to the party leader Malema on Wednesday informing him about his resignation from the party.
“I felt the same pain when I received news of the passing away of my mother because Floyd to me is not just a comrade, he is a brother,” he said.
He has said that Shivambu will remain a brother even when he pursues his political career differently.
“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,” he said.
Despite reports about a division between the two party leaders, Malema and Shivambu, have insisted that their relationship remains intact and that nothing will come between them.
Shivambu has also announced at the briefing that he will be joining former President Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
He says this has nothing to do with losing confidence in the EFF, insisting it is a revolutionary act that will allow progressive forces to unite and work towards their shared agenda.
The agenda is to push the African National Congress (ANC) out of power completely.
The ANC lost the majority in the May 29 national and provincial elections. This is the first time it has lost power since 1994.
The EFF also suffered a defeat in the 2024 elections and saw itself bleeding as it dropped to number four in the race, after MKP took its third spot.
Malema at the time accepted the loss and said he was satisfied with the progress in pushing the ANC out of power.
Meanwhile, the EFF still has other issues to contend with like the VBS affair, which has surfaced again short on the heels of the general elections in May, which has exposed the party’s dwindling support.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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