Cape Town - Economic Freedom Fighters member of the provincial Parliament Nazier Paulsen has allegedly been threatened by a member of his own party who wants to oust the “coloured faction”.
Tension is brewing in the ranks of the EFF in the Western Cape, after the party’s security head informed the party’s provincial leadership of a potential threat made against Paulsen.
The threat - “to burn out” Paulsen’s car - “with him in it” was made a few weeks ago, but the party kept it under wraps.
This in fear that it would affect its provincial Peoples Assembly, held in Zwelihle in Hermanus just over a week ago.
The elective conference was a low-key affair and only came to light when the party’s national leadership congratulated the province for hosting a successful provincial Peoples Assembly.
Confirming the threat made against him, Paulsen was initially reluctant to respond, saying only that it was “a minor incident” and “ultimately it is an internal party matter”.
But well-informed sources within the organisation said there were “ambitious factions” within the EFF in the province who desperately wanted to take over the reins and oust the so-called “coloured faction” who were leading the party.
“There is a splinter group within our ranks who tried to cause trouble ahead of the elective conference.
“They don’t see eye to eye with the current leadership, making decisions on their own and wanted to topple the current provincial leadership,” several party insiders told the Cape Argus.
Another well-informed party insider said their head of security had said an EFF member reportedly approached him claiming he was asked to carry out an attack on Paulsen.
“More precisely, they wanted to hire this man to burn out Paulsen’s car – with him in it,” the insider said.
Paulsen did confirm that their security head passed on this information but added that no attempt was made on his life.
“Our security head informed me that he was approached by a member, prior to the party convening its provincial Peoples Assembly,” he added.
When pressed about the faction, Paulsen said: “There’s no factions, only healthy lobby groups who support different candidates. We are a vibrant organisation, this is to be expected.
“Every conference in every political party has lobbyists who punts their candidates and while our Peoples Assembly in Hermanus was robust, there was no violence.”
About 300 EFF delegates attended the Peoples Assembly, voted in the EFF’s first democratically elected top five in the province, along with 16 other members who together will form the party’s provincial executive.
The new top five includes, Bernard Joseph, the new provincial chairman; Veronica Mente (deputy provincial chairwoman); Melikhaya Xego (provincial secretary); Yerushka Chetty (deputy provincial secretary); and Mzwandile Douglas Jacobs (provincial treasurer).
Paulsen, who was leading the party up until the elective conference last week, in a surprise move declined nomination for chairmanship, but will remain a member of the executive and the leader of the EFF in the provincial legislature.
Joseph, the party’s new provincial chairman, said their top priority as the new leadership was to free the Western Cape from the shackles of the DA government and focus on gangsterism and drugs, housing, backyard dwellers and sanitation issues.
He said more than 400 delegates from the Western Cape would head to Free State in two weeks’ time to take part in EFF’s first national Peoples Assembly.
Cape Argus