Former EFF Limpopo chairperson Jossey Buthane has finally come out of his bubble, announcing on Sunday that he has re-joined the ANC after weeks of speculation.
Buthane, who has been in the political wilderness since 2021, left the Red Berets after a fall out with its president and friend Julius Malema.
A wedge was drawn between the two once close allies and “homeboys” after the party’s poor results following the 2021 local government elections, forcing Malema and his executive to disband the Limpopo provincial command team (PCT), led by Buthane.
With the party being the official opposition in the province, which has always been the party’s stronghold, it was a massive concern to Malema and his executive to lose about 25 council seats following those elections.
This means the blame came solely on Buthane, who was leading the province then.
Malema at the time had said the decision to disband the EFF’s PCT was taken by the party’s EFF’s highest decision-making structure, the central command team.
But Buthane saw it as a betrayal by his long-time ally and broke ranks to form the Workers Emancipation Trade Union last year.
The two started hauling insults at each other, forcing a bigger wedge between the one time friends until he announced that he had left the EFF.
During the ANC’s annual Solomon Mahlangu memorial lecture on Sunday, which Buthane used to announce the news, he also announced that he had come with 190 former EFF members.
If his assertions are true, it would be a huge blow to the EFF.
The ANC provincial secretary, Reuben Madadzhe, confirmed that Buthane had joined the governing party.
“The ANC in Limpopo is pleased to announce that Jossey Buthane, former Limpopo provincial leader of the EFF, has rejoined the ANC, together with 190 former EFF members,”
Speaking at the lecture Buthane said while he did not want to mention any organisation (the EFF), he knew their hearts were bleeding because he had brought in scores of former EFF members, launching what he called “programme Khumbul eKhaya”, loosely translated “remembering home:.
“Their hearts are bleeding wherever they are. I can commit to you now that I’m going to lead a programme called Khumbul eKhaya,” Buthane boasted.
He promised that in Sekhukhune, the party would be welcoming more former EFF members who were PR councillors.
“I’m not coming back home, I’ve been home. I’m nothing special… I’m not going to talk about any other organisation. They said come assist us work. So I’m here to work. I don’t belong to anyone. I belong to the ANC!
“The problem is that you become impatient with the ANC and the impatience is not for us personally. We want to see our people developing and benefiting faster… We are not fighting with anyone but we want to push the ANC, that is what we are here now.
“Comrades that have come with me today. You are not going to be VIPs and say that you have come with comrade Jossey and therefore you have to be treated special. You must go to your branches and work… Work properly for the ANC... they (EFF) are going to insult you…they are going to say all manner of things, don't listen to them. Never listen to them!
Buthane said he was targeting Elias Motsoaledi and Mopani to bring in more EFF members to the ANC.
“We might have a bi-election very soon. We are here to work and you shouldn’t involve us in anything else but to work,” said Buthane.
Last week, when The Star contacted the EFF about the possibilities of Buthane leaving the party because of the conflict with Malema, EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo, said the party was focused on elections and nothing else.
The Star