The EFF has booted out three celebrity MPs who have been integral to the EFF’s representation in parliament.
R&B singer Ringo Madlingozi, kwaito star Eugene Mthethwa and acclaimed television actor Fana Mokoena, did not make the cut in the top 100 parliament candidates of the red beret brigade.
This came to the fore when the list of the red sea was revealed to Sunday World yesterday.
Their exclusion will send shockwaves across the arts ecosystem because the EFF previously boasted it takes the arts industry seriously, hence the trio’s deployment to parliament.
Fana, who was among the EFF founding members, was deployed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) after the party’s first elections in 2014.
He was then moved to the national assembly two years later.
Madlingozi became an EFF MP after the 2019 national and provincial elections, while Mthethwa was parachuted shortly after joining last year.
After their various stints, the three musketeers will now watch parliament proceedings on their television sets like the rest of South African citizens. But the party’s central command team might exercise its discretion and return them to parliament because of their high profiles in society.
Asked about the exclusion of the three, EFF national spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo, chose to prevaricate.
“Well, the EFF list has 50% women, youngest person on the list is 22-years old, representative of all races and the LGBTQI+ community,” said Thambo.
“Of our candidates, 60% hold an undergraduate degree, five are PhD holders, 13% hold postgraduate qualifications, and 24% hold matric qualifications.
“We are happy that the internal democratic process of the EFF produced such an excellent list. The cream of the crop of our organisation has been put on offer to lead our nation,” he went on.
“In the EFF, we don’t discuss names or positions on the list, but a qualitative offering. We haven’t publicised our list, and neither has the IEC, so we can’t comment on who is or is not there based on speculation.
“The IEC must do its internal checks on all lists before any discussion around that can happen.”
The celebrity MPs were not the only cohort to be dealt a blow, but also the high-profile politicians who recently joined the red army who appear down on the list.
These include former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, political guru Mzwanele Manyi, and Carl Niehaus, as well as the nephew of former president Jacob Zuma, Magasela Mzobe.
The four, given their public profiles, would have thought they would at least make the top 20.
Instead, they are all appearing in the top 40 bracket.
Vocal women’s rights activist, Naledi Chirwa, who had a run-in with the EFF top brass recently for missing parliament during this year’s budget speech, is placed at 40th.
The party currently has 44 MPs, so it would appear all those within the 1-44 range are safe, especially with the projected growth.
All EFF national officials appear in the top 6, as they automatically made it to the list, while the rest had to be voted for by branches.
Former EFF national officials Godrich Gardee, Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi, and Leigh-Anne Mathys appear very popular, as they are placed in positions 7, 8, and 9 respectively.
The EFF young blood also appears to be gaining serious traction, with national spokesperson Thambo, head of presidency Vuyani Pambo, and EFF Students Command boss Sihle Lonzi, all within the Top 12, above former sensation Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
