A full-scale succession battle is raging in the EFF, with fears heightening it could fracture the fledgling opposition party deeply.
As the second-biggest opposition party prepares for its elective conference in December, a group opposed to party leader Julius Malema has emerged, calling itself #KokotaPaino (KKP), which disagrees with some of his candidates.
Last week we reported that Malema and his supporters have dumped chairperson Dali Mpofu from their slate, arguing that he was not pulling his weight, as he was always in court.
This week a list that has Mpofu as chairperson emerged, setting the stage for a titanic battle for the position of chairman and the secretariat.
Malema’s faction wants Mpofu replaced by Veronica Mente while his opponents want the senior counsel to retain to his position.
But both camps have two things in common – that time is over for the general secretary Godrich Gardee and that Malema and his deputy, Floyd Shivhambu, should keep their powerful posts.
The KKP faction wants party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi to replace Gardee while Malema’s Matorokisi grouping wants Marshall Dlamini to lead the secretariat.
EFF KwaZulu-Natal leader Vusi Khoza warned Malema’s grouping against underestimating his camp. Khoza’s phone rang unanswered.
A Gauteng EFF member who is close to the KKP faction but supports the Matorokisi slate said a small group in the KKP were also toying with the notion of replacing Shivambu with Mpofu.
“A new slate that is being pushed by sympathisers of expelled EFF member Abednego
“Msholozi” Mathole wants Shivambu to be replaced by Mpofu. Shivambu was fingered as the one who orchestrated Msholozi’s dismissal,” said the member who didn’t want to be named.
By Ngwako Malatji and George Matlala
