The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is facing a period of intense internal strife as the party gears up for its third elective conference in December. The looming battle for the deputy leadership position has ignited a fierce contest between incumbent Floyd Shivambu and secretary general Marshall Dlamini, with the outcome potentially shaping the party's future trajectory.
The storm brewing within the EFF's ranks is directly linked to the VBS Mutual Bank scandal, which has cast a long shadow over the party. The damning affidavit of Tshifhiwa Matodzi, the bank's kingpin, implicating EFF leader Julius Malema and Shivambu in receiving bribes totalling R16 million, has sent shockwaves through the party's Kwazulu-Natal region.
Five regional leaders have publicly declared their opposition to Shivambu's re-election, citing the VBS scandal as a major factor in their decision. They argue that Shivambu's alleged involvement in the scandal has tarnished the party's image and that his continued presence in the deputy leadership position would be detrimental to the EFF's future.
"Matodzi’s affidavit is a nail in the coffin for the deputy president because, if you remember, we have always been wary of VBS coming between his aspirations to level up to the presidency. Now that just means he will be sacrificed because of the direct implications in this mess," one regional leader stated, voicing the sentiments of many.
The regional leaders also point to Shivambu's perceived failure to mobilise support in Kwazulu-Natal for the May elections as further evidence of his inadequacy as a leader. The EFF's electoral performance in the province plummeted from 9.96% in 2019 to 2.56% this year, a decline attributed in part to the rise of former ANC president Jacob Zuma's umkhonto wesizwe party and the EFF's internal struggles.
"Shivambu’s loss of support was evident even before the rise of former ANC president Jacob Zuma’s umkhonto wesizwe party," another leader remarked, highlighting the party's internal challenges that predate the recent electoral setbacks.
Shivambu's critics accuse him of failing to unite the party's structures in the province, a task he was specifically assigned after factional battles threatened to undermine the EFF's electoral gains. His inability to fill the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban for an EFF event and his subsequent redeployment to the Eastern Cape further fuel the criticism.
The VBS scandal has added a new dimension to the already tense situation. Shivambu's brother, Brian, received R16 million in payments from the bank, with the money allegedly benefiting both Floyd and Malema. While the EFF leadership has been silent on the matter, the Kwazulu-Natal leaders are demanding action, viewing Shivambu's alleged involvement as a "threat to the party."
"Twice is problematic; not long ago, parliament found him [Shivambu] guilty of this, and now Matodzi links him again. The CIC [commander-in-chief, Malema] better do the right thing and have him removed because his fingers are more tainted than all of them," one leader declared, expressing the growing frustration within the party.
The leader accused Shivambu of being dishonest and unfit to lead the party, sentiments echoed by the other four regional leaders in Kwazulu-Natal. Tensions between Shivambu and the Kwazulu-Natal leadership have been simmering for some time, with accusations of misuse of election funds adding to the growing rift.
While the Kwazulu-Natal leadership has publicly declared its support for Dlamini, his loyalists are pushing for MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi to replace him as secretary general. Ndlozi, a popular figure within the party's student wing and some Gauteng structures, is seen as a potential successor to Dlamini, who has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for five years, for assaulting a police officer in parliament in 2019.
"It is the will of ground forces to have commissar Ndlozi in the top six, and we have agreed that we will nominate him from the floor, but it only works if the leadership agrees. Remember, the slate is given by national leadership, and we have to accept it in the name of democratic centralism," the leaders said, acknowledging the power dynamics within the party.
Dlamini, a close ally of Malema, has been nominated as the party's premier candidate for Kwazulu-Natal, a move that further highlights his growing influence within the EFF. However, his recent conviction for assault could potentially hinder his ambitions.
Despite the party's electoral losses in May and the collapse of its coalition agreements at city level with the ANC, Malema's control over the EFF remains unchallenged. When questioned about the lack of consequences for Malema's leadership following the party's poor showing, one party member candidly stated: "Because he would kick us out if we attempted."
Malema, in a bid to quell the growing internal dissent, has warned against any individual campaigning for positions, aiming to prevent the conference from becoming a platform for factionalism. However, the party's second elective conference in 2019 saw concerns raised about the central command team's control over the proceedings, with accusations that the positions were already pre-determined.
The upcoming conference in December will be attended by voting delegates from provincial branches, with the party's national assembly guidelines set to be released shortly after the leadership concludes its war council meetings.
