Outgoing EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu was “both the brains and the sword in the party”.
This is the view expressed by an EFF member in KwaZulu-Natal following the announcement that Shivambu had ditched the EFF he co-founded almost 10 years ago to join the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
Shivambu and Mzwanele Manyi announced on Thursday that they had quit the EFF, raising fears that more members could leave to join the MKP.
EFF commander-in-chief Julius Malema said there were many people who were “double parking” (linked to the EFF and another party), adding that fighters (EFF members) should brace for more defections.
An EFF member in KZN, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Shivambu’s departure, while a shock to some, was not unexpected. While it was a big loss, it was not an irreplaceable loss...
“While some of the people will be surprised by the outcome, others will not be. Some of us expected that he might be leaving the party.
“The party is going into conference at the end of the year and there has been talk of changes. Many provinces have been calling for a change. While KwaZulu-Natal has not taken formal decisions (going to the conference), individual members have been talking about change and the call has been that the deputy president post should go to Marshall Dlamini,” the member said.
The member spoke of the time he had observed Shivambu up close when the party had campaigned in the province. “He is the brains of the party. We can’t take that away from him.
“He is a big believer in boardroom politics and relies on the party branches.
When he was leading the campaign in KZN, we spent about 80% of the time in the boardroom, instead of outside with the public, which frustrated some members. He seems to prefer delegating to the structure to do the groundwork.”
The member added: “He is also brutal when work is not done. People think the president, Julius Malema, is brutal.
The president is not brutal, Shivambu is... When he was leading campaigns and he asked for a report and that report was not done, he would take you to task, brutally.”
The source said while Shivambu was a loss for the party, he would be replaced. “The fighters have been improving themselves (educationally), so there are a lot of intellectuals in the party. It’s time for them to emerge and replace him,” he said.
The Mercury