Johannesburg - The Gauteng legislature’s funds allocated for the use of EFF activities in the province has been cited as one of the core factors for divisions within the party.
EFF MPLs, including the party’s caucus leader, Mandisa Mashego, have been accused of undermining the party’s provincial executive committee (its provincial command team), who are not serving in the legislature.
The group aligned with Mashego are also accused of refusing to divulge details of their use of public funds.
This was revealed to The Star by former EFF provincial chairman Zorro Boshielo on Thursday. He spoke to The Star a day after he handed in his resignation letter to his party’s national leaders.
Boshielo was elected as the EFF’s Gauteng’s inaugural chairman in November.
He distanced himself from any links to suspended EFF MP Andile Mngxitama and others. Instead, he accused the provincial and national leadership of the EFF of using Parliament and the Gauteng legislature as a “stage to show off”.
He also accused leader Julius Malema and his EFF MPs of spending too much time on the “pay back the money issue” instead of dealing with “real issues of people living on the West Rand and other poor areas in the country.
“We hardly hear our leaders debating the state of education in the country.”
He labelled the EFF MPLs in Gauteng “mere puppets and friends of (EFF deputy president) Floyd Shivambu”.
Boshielo added: “At one of our provincial meetings, one of the provincial command team members asked about the usage of the legislature’s funds by the members.
“Mandisa Mashego then responded that our provincial committee did not have the powers to discuss that matter because such issues were only discussed at the war council level.
“The war council is the highest decision-making body of the EFF and is chaired by Julius Malema. Shivambu is also part of the war council,” Boshielo said.
He stopped short of accusing the grouping of fraud and corruption, but Boshielo said Gauteng members were kept in the dark and the legislature’s funds were “managed by a clique”.
Kim Heller, a former media adviser to advocate and EFF MP Dali Mpofu, also confirmed her resignation. Unlike Boshielo, Heller said there was too must intolerance to differing opinions in the EFF.
“It was an enormous privilege to work with the leadership of the EFF over the election period, as well as fighters on the ground who I respect so deeply for their unrelenting commitment to helping herald in true liberation in our country.
“It was extremely heartbreaking for me to leave the EFF and I remain a dedicated advocate of economic freedom.”
Of the reasons for her departure, she said: “There is incongruence between the principles of the EFF (which are honourable) and the practice thereof.
“Further, the climate of intolerance and intimidation of those who hold divergent views does not bode well for a revolutionary culture. Nonetheless, I wish the organisation all the best as they pursue the critical mandate of economic freedom,” Heller said.
The third person could not be contacted.
Mashego confirmed the resignation of the three, but said the legislature’s funds were “an internal matter which will not be discussed with the media”.
EFF provincial spokesman Ntobeng Ntobeng gave a similar response. Both welcomed the resignations.
Ntobeng said Mashego – the EFF’s Gauteng deputy chairwoman – would take over from Boshielo.
A meeting would be held to replace the other two.
The Star