Durban - A red tide tide is swelling against EFF leader Julius Malema with the emergence of an aggrieved group of EFF members intent on instituting internal democratic reforms.
Four suspended EFF MPs are crisscrossing the country to push for reforms in the embattled party, with Andile Mngxitama saying “there has been serious erosion of internal democracy in the EFF”.
The rebels converged at the AF Wood Centre in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday under the guise of a consultative meeting and to launch the KwaZulu-Natal leg of the campaign #SaveTheSoulOfTheEFF.
Mngxitama was joined by fellow MPs Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, Mpho Rama-katsa and Lucky Thwala.
The aim of the meeting was to solicit input from various KZN EFF regions on what needs to be done to save the EFF from a “cabal that runs it like a spaza shop”.
The group also wants the party finances to be run in a transparent, efficient manner.
Just under 200 fighters had joined the MPs in the venue, guarded by at least 10 police and traffic vehicles including a police Nyala.
Litchfield-Tshabalala said the launch of the KZN campaign, which comes a week after the provincial assembly last week, was key to saving one of the EFF’s biggest provinces.
“We launch this campaign today because our leaders are at the centre of eroding the identity of the EFF. We have no home other than the EFF, but we cannot allow our movement’s soul to be destroyed by behaviours imported from the ruling party,” she said.
Litchfield-Tshabalala said in last week’s assembly serious irregularities emerged. She said bogus branches from four regions attended and purported to hold a legitimate assembly.
“Four regions is not even 50 percent of the 11 regions we have in the province. Among those attending today we have nine regions – where did we get them, because last week the national leadership claimed other regions did not attend?” said Litchfield-Tshabalala.
Mngxitama fired a broadside on Malema saying his leadership was ensuring intolerance of the dissenting voices.
“I must state that, unlike in any other parties, there are no divisions in the EFF. We are still very much part of it, but we exercise our freedom to right and wrong because we love the party and we do not want it to be destroyed by a few individuals. Not our party and not in our name,” he said.
The EFF’s central command took disciplinary action against Mngxitama and Khanyisile Tshabalala after they tried to hold a press briefing last month. The briefing was disrupted by pro-Malema supporters.
Attempts to get comment from the opposing EFF faction were not successful.
Sunday Tribune