EFF leader Julius Malema. (Photo credit: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has announced that former party chairman Dali Mpofu has disbanded the party and joined forces with the newly formed Umkhonto Wisizwe (MK) party led by former president Jacob Zuma. He admitted that he had proposed a merger.
Mr Malema made the remarks in an internal podcast with EFF spokesperson Leigh-Anne Mathis on Thursday, hours after news broke that Mr Mpofu had become the latest EFF executive to defect to the MK party.
Malema said in the podcast that he was surprised by Mpofu's merger proposal, saying it had received strong opposition from then-EFF vice-chairman Floyd Shivambu. Shivambu himself also jumped ship to MK.
“Mr. Floyd was very shocked. Dali didn't just make the suggestion, he wrote it down and clearly thought it through,” Malema said, adding that Shivambu told Mpofu that the proposal would not be considered. He added that he had told them.
Mr Mpofu, who was a member of the ANC before joining the EFF and is now affiliated with the MK party, released a nine-page statement dated November 7 in which he said: “I do not consider myself a member or member of the party. “I don't need anyone's permission to do so.” Supporters of any one or all three of these organizations. ”
“I have earned the right to belong to all three through blood and sweat and personal effort and sacrifices I have made for each. No one can take that away from me,” he wrote. , added that his decision to join MK is consistent with his vision of uniting “progressive forces”.
Mr Mpofu said he had been involved in “underground” meetings with leaders of various political parties in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal over the past year and had played a role in fostering alliances between left-wing parties, but Malema He did not comment on his claims. He had proposed disbanding the EFF.
“How can one person consider himself a member of the ANC, EFF and MK at the same time? Impossible, right? Wrong. My ANC membership expired or expired in 2013. I was also informed that my EFF membership had recently expired,” Mpofu said in a statement.
“I have not yet registered as a member of MK, how can I claim membership in any of these three organizations? They all claim that according to their “records” I am a member of them. has the right to issue a statement “clarifying” that it is not a member of.
“Nevertheless, I claim to be a member of all three. I am a proud member of the ANC, the MK, and the ANC’s fictitious organization, the AMF of the Nation. Mkhonto Fighters of Africa. See my tendency?
Mpofu said he facilitated talks between Zuma and leaders of various political groups, including the EFF, the United Democratic Movement and the African Movement for Change, with the aim of building a strong government to replace the Government of National Accord. Ta.
In a podcast on Thursday, Mr Malema said he met Mr Zuma to discuss possible cooperation but rejected Mr Mpofu's proposal to disband the EFF.
He suggested that Mr Zuma consider supporting the EFF if he was interested in an alliance, but the former president declined, claiming older voters were reluctant to support the Red Berets.
“I told him that's not going to happen. I don't agree with that and there's no EFF to close,” Malema said, appearing not to be fully committed to the EFF's vision. I have criticized members before.
Regarding Mpofu's departure, Malema said, “That's what it is,” reiterating what he had expected.
The MK Party went to its first general election on 29 May 2024, securing 15% of the national vote and establishing itself as South Africa's third party, a position previously held by the EFF.
Mr Mpofu's departure from the EFF to MK follows other high-profile members this year, including Mr Shivambu, former government spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi and former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Malema told the media on Friday at the inauguration of Botswana's new president, Duma Boko, that the exodus of senior leaders was not the end of the party.
“You can't destroy what you haven't built, so it won't fall apart. It's our child. It's our own baby and it's up to us to decide what we do with it. EFF is the future and cannot be destabilized by opportunism,” he said.
He reiterated that he had no relationship with Mr Zuma beyond politics.
“We are political competitors. He is a party leader and I am a party leader. That is where our relationship begins and ends. When we agree on an issue, we share a common point of view. If we don't agree, we don't agree.''
Former MK party national organizer Macdonald Masabe publicly disputed Mr Mpofu's claims that he helped Mr Zuma form the MK.
In an interview with talk radio station 702, Masabe called Mpofu's claims “disingenuous” and said Zuma had deliberately excluded prominent lawyers from being active members of the EFF.
“Mpofu is lying. He knows very well that Mr Zuma does not want him involved,” Mr Masabe said, adding that he had advised Mr Zuma not to cooperate with the EFF.
