WATCH | Shivambu says EFF leaders knew he was going to leave the party

Shivambu

Cape Town — Former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Deputy president, Floyd Shivambu, has said that many of the party’s leaders knew he would be leaving the red berets, leaving EFF MPs angered.

Shivambu sat down for an interview with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh where he revealed that people within his former party knew he was set to leave and explained his decision to join the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party was the best decision.

“MK Party is the most important party in South African politics now and it needed to take the direction and shape it is taking now,” he said, adding that with his experience in politics, he decided he should play a role.

Shivambu added that his decision to join the MK Party was the best and most politically sound decision he could make, and he reiterated that he had a key role in founding the EFF.

“I conceptualised the Economic Freedom Fighters. The name, the founding members, the references, the commissars, the commander -in-chief, the founding manifesto and all its key documents,” he said.

Shivambu said top EFF members knew he was not going to stay in the EFF.

“Some of the comrades were saying they were hocked that I was going to join the MK Party. Majority of the leaders of the EFF knew I was going to join the MK Party, event eh officials. Some of them came to back me and said ‘please don’t tell the president’,” he said.

He explained that the president (Julius Malema) did not know and had begged Floyd not to tell him that they knew he was leaving the party. He added that it was a canvassed review of his decision to leave the EFF to join the MK Party and he also encouraged other EFF members who wanted to leave with him and said they could have a role to play with the EFF.

“If you decide to join MK, it must not appear as if I am responsible for a mass exodus from the EFF. I am joining individually. Those who join later on because they are convinced by the politics of the MK, they will do so by themselves,” he said.

WATCH FULL VIDEO BELOW:

Following Shivambu’s comments that party leaders knew he would be leaving the party, many MPs denied his claims, including former secretary-general, Godrich Gardee and National Council of Provinces, Naledi Chirwa, TimesLIVE reported.

“I am a central command team [CCT] member and I did not know or suspect. He never canvassed me. I would have informed the secretary-general [Marshall Dlamini], CIC [Julius Malema] and CCT to give them a heads up,” Gardee said.

Gardee said Shivambu’s remarks could impact the EFF negatively and said it was a threat to their safety and he left a dark cloud over their heads.

Chirwa said Shivambu’s comments were due to jealousy and said the EFF should not be friends with someone who envies them.

“To think he was going to be the first person Malema’s sons call when he dies is horrifying to say the least. We are not sad about losing him. He saved us from himself,” Chirwa said.

The EFF’s Sixolise Gcilishe and Mgcini Tshwake also commented on the situation and said the EFF was better off without Shivambu.

Shivambu defended his comments in an X post.

“Everything I said in this interview is 100% correct. I am a truthful student of Amilcar Cabral who says: ‘hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories’.”

Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Picture: X/@FloydShivambu

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Matthew Petersen

Article written by