Julius Malema’s embattled EFF has been hit with a leadership exodus.
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party secretary-general Floyd Shivambu said former president Jacob Zuma’s departure from the African National Congress (ANC) to form the MK party is one of the reasons former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members had no fear in leaving the party which is “just a 10-year-old organisation”.
Shivambu made the remarks at the MK party’s gala dinner on Sunday as the party marked its first anniversary with a celebration rally at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)
Julius Malema’s embattled EFF has been hit with a leadership exodus, with big names, including Shivambu, Mzwanele Manyi, Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Dali Mpofu, crossing over to Zuma’s MK party with speculations of more departures.
Watch Floyd Shivambu speaking at the MK party gala dinner
Floyd Shivambu says that former president Jacob Zuma’s departure from the ANC to form the MK party is one of the reasons they had no fear in leaving “just a 10-year-old organization,” the EFF.
He made this statement at the party’s gala dinner in Durban. pic.twitter.com/dixQQa1blP
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Zuma forming MK party
Shivambu said nobody believed that Zuma would form his own political party to take on the ANC.
“So, when uMkhonto weSizwe party was founded, a lot of people could not believe it. Some of us had the opportunity to be appraised in October 2023. None of us could believe that President Zuma could make a bold decision to start an organisation and forego an organisation which he had served before for more than 60 years.
“So, that was one of the boldest actions. That is why some of us, did not even have an iota of fear to leave just a ten-year-old organisation because we had seen that for a just and revolutionary cause, anything else has to be done correctly,” Shivambu said.
Zuma was officially expelled from the ANC last month.
Last month, Shivambu said the MK party was “not ashamed” of any of its leaders, including Zuma.
It followed the ANC’s national disciplinary committee of appeal’s decision upholding his earlier expulsion for endorsing and leading the MK party.
ALSO READ: MK party ‘not ashamed’ of any leaders, including Zuma – Shivambu [VIDEO]
Defending Zuma
Shivambu also came to the defence of Zuma, who is linked to state capture. Zuma’s Stalingrad strategy over the years has also largely been successful in delaying his legal cases.
“There were so many people who were even saying that President Zuma stole billions of rands, he’s building mansions in Dubai, he’s doing all of those things. Not even one person today can come with proof that Zuma took a single cent from the state for his own personal benefit out of the so-called nonsense of state capture.”
Zuma is currently embroiled in several legal battles, including private prosecutions in a bid to get his arms deal prosecutor Billy Downer removed from the controversial case.
Zuma, alongside French arms company Thales, faces multiple charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering linked to the multi-billion rand defence procurement project in 1999.
The case has repeatedly been delayed by Zuma’s efforts to remove Downer.
ALSO READ: Floyd Shivambu claims ‘everything about EFF’ in interview was true [VIDEO]
