Johannesburg - The Julius Malema-aligned grouping, affectionately known as "Matorokisi", has emerged strongly in the 40-member Central Command Team of the EFF, the parties highest decision-making structure.
The EFF amended its constitution at its National People's Assembly to increase the CCT from 35 to 40 members, and 54% of it is represented by women.
Delegates elected 22 women into the 40 member CCT, surpassing the requirement of having 50% women representation in the organisation's highest structure between conferences.
Malema's allies made it in the CCT, but there was no space for three former leaders who had served in the top six in the previous term.
Those leaders are former chairperson, Dali Mpofu,former treasurer-general Leanne Mathys, and former secretary-general Godrich Gardee, who declined nomination to the CCT to moans and groans at the conference venue.
Both Mpofu and Mathys received no nominations for positions in the CCT.
OUT: Dali Mpofu received no nominations to the CCT.
OUT: Leigh-Ann Mathys received no nominations to the CCT. Picture: Se-Anne Rall
Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi, the former deputy secretary-general who was not re-elected to the top six, made it onto the CCT as an additional member, along with the EFF's national spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
Gardee, who was also on the "Matorokisi" list for the CCT, declined nomination after he was nominated to loud applause by a delegate from Limpopo.
"I am humbled by the nomination, but I respectfully decline," Gardee said, to groans at Nasrec, where the conference is being held.
His place was taken by Lerato Duba-Tito from the Northern Cape.
Another name from the "Matorokisi" faction which did not make the CCT was Dr Younis Vawda, who was replaced by Mgqibisi Tshwaku from the Joburg region in Gauteng.
The Mpofu-and-Gardee-aligned faction, which has been resoundingly beaten at the EFF's National People's Assembly and was affectionately known as "Kokota Piano". It mounted a mini fightback in trying to get its preferred candidates onto the CCT.
Thabiso Telekoa, the chairperson of the EFF's Midrand branch in Gauteng, which he declared as "the best performing branch in the country", accepted his nomination, but failed to make the 30% delegate threshold needed to be considered for the CCT.
The conference ends on Monday, December 16.