South Africa’s political space has been shaken up after the EFF’s Floyd Shivambu handed his official resignation as the party’s deputy president. His resignation comes after he and EFF Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema reportedly had a fallout.
In his statement, the former deputy president expressed that he had been informed that his membership with the EFF had lapsed and that he would not be renewing the membership. While a close source who is a member of the organisation’s senior structure revealed to City Press that the resignation was due to differences between Floyd and Julius.
“I cherish and appreciate the work that we collectively did in the EFF and building a formidable organisation. I believe the aspirations and vision contained in the Organisational Redesign document of the EFF can still be achieved. My non-renewal of membership of the EFF is not a vote of no confidence in the organisation, but a revolutionary act that will allow progressive forces to unite and work towards the agenda for progressive and revolutionary change,” Floyd explains in his resignation letter.
Floyd Shivambu’s resignation letter. pic.twitter.com/hguzh6qN0q
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) August 15, 2024
He has since expressed his interest in joining former ANC leader Jacob Zuma’s Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party. “The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom,” the politician captions an Instagram post with the MK Party emblem.
View this post on Instagram
These recent developments have caused a stir on Mzanzi’s social media platforms, as users speculate the cause of this sudden departure, as well as how this could affect the EFF, specifically Julius Malema as he and Floyd were known to be extremely close.
Some users believe that this only the beginning of the downfall of the EFF, and that many other members will soon follow in Floyd’s footsteps
1+1=2
They may not leave EFF today… But ultimately they will be patriots and follow Floyd Shivambu pic.twitter.com/iRNoYy6VzV
— Schwarzenegger Chauke (@eliotchauke1) August 15, 2024
While some believe that this is all a ploy by the EFF to take over the MK Party at a later stage.
What if, just what if Floyd is the successor of Zuma and later joins parties with the EFF?
— Chizz_CFC (@The_Real_Chizz) August 16, 2024
Other user’s were concerned for Julius Malema and his response to the news:
When Julius Malema said #floydshivambu‘s resignation cuts as deep as losing his mother, I realised how shuttered he is. Surely this is not a political deployment, rather a decision Shivambu felt was better for his political career. That said, CIC handled the breakup maturely.
— Mokholoane (@ramainoane25) August 15, 2024
Also see: Internet users react to Julius Malema’s R28k Durban July shoe