Durban - In a shock move, the EFF has disbanded its KwaZulu-Natal executive and all regional structures in the province in preparation for the 2019 general elections.
The decision by the party's national leadership to disband the KZN executive, along with its counterpart in the Eastern Cape, was taken at the meeting of the central command team (CCT) at the weekend in Johannesburg.
EFF acting national spokesman, Fana Mokoena, said branches had been formed in a hurry in the two provinces.
"Eastern Cape and KZN presented a particular problem for us. We did not have time to look at the quality of branches at the time, so we said it is best we started afresh," Mokoena said last night.
While Mokoena said the electoral performance of the EFF was a consideration in their decision, he stated that the province had a big population.
"If we let the party fall apart, we are not to make an impact in the politics of this country," he said.
Addressing a press conference in Johannesburg, party leader, Julius Malema, said the party structures in KZN and the Eastern Cape were weak, with most launched in a hurry before the elections.
"Since the elections have passed, we need to give ourselves enough time to build quality structures which understand and appreciate the organisational culture."
Malema said fighters in the two provinces had done nothing wrong to warrant disbandment. "You realise the constitution of structures is in such a way that it will not help you achieve what you want to achieve, particularly, in 2019," Malema said.
The disbanded structures are to be replaced by CCT-led interim structures which will rebuild all branches and also convene regional people's assemblies when a minimum of 80% of wards in the region have launched EFF branches.
This would be followed by the convening of a provincial people's assembly constituted by a minimum of 80% of wards in the provinces.
Mokoena said the war council - a committee of party officials that runs the day-to-day affairs of EFF - would soon meet to decide on deployments on the interim committees for the two provinces and their regions.
Daily News