Johannesburg - Rogue EFF MPs Andile Mngxitama, Khanyisile Tshabalala-Litchfield and Mpho Ramakatsa could face additional charges of misconduct for making public statements while dressed in party regalia, as internal rifts continue to plague the party.
The three – with the exception of Lucky Twala, who is also under suspension – stood before scores of party members in Bloemfontein on Friday, dressed in EFF colours, as part of a “Save the Soul of the EFF” rally.
They are part of an opposing faction in the EFF after declining nomination at the party’s elective conference last year.
Their suspension letters state that the MPs are not allowed to participate in any parliamentary or organisational activities and have been forbidden to wear “regalia or any cloth with insignia or symbols of the organisation” for the duration of their suspensions.
The MPs’ fate was at the top of the agenda at the party’s top six leadership meeting on Monday.
The party accused Mngxitama and Tshabalala-Litchfield of being absent from the State Of the Nation Address without any apology or notice to the organisation, and for making false accusations in public alleging that the organisation was “conspiring with the ANC to remove seven EFF members from Parliament”.
The party’s leaders met on Monday after weeks of turmoil within the party ranks and counter-accusations of sinister plots. An EFF official in Parliament said the party would likely add more charges for the three MPs, except for Twala, who wasn’t present at the gathering.
EFF secretary Godrich Gardee, who is the complainant in all the cases, would not confirm or deny the additional charges.
“I suggest that we allow the process to unfold quietly internally, and that we do not punish the integrity of the process when it goes for review,” he requested.
Political Bureau