New MK Party Secretary-General Floyd Shivambu refuses to entertain congratulatory messages from EFF leader Julius Malema

Floyd Shivambu who was appointed secretary-general of the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKP) yesterday, has dismissed questions regarding congratulatory messages, or lack thereof, from Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema.

The appointment, announced on Sunday by MKP head of presidency Magasela Mzobe, follows the resignation of Dr Sifiso Maseko last month. The party stated that Shivambu’s appointment has the full support of MKP leader Jacob Zuma and the national leadership.

Shivambu’s appointment has sparked considerable interest, particularly given his recent departure from the EFF in August and the subsequent joining of several other former EFF members to the MKP.

When questioned about his relationship with Malema and any recent communication, Shivambu deflected the query, stating, “I honestly don’t think it’s part of what our discussion should be. I am coming to talk here about uMkhonto weSizwe. I am not here to discuss those things. We are talking to millions of South Africans and want to talk about personal relations of people. That is not really a major issue,” he responded firmly.

He also rejected suggestions that his appointment was a reward for recruiting former EFF members to the MKP.

“I don’t think it will be correct to claim that I am the one who brought them. They joined uMkhonto weSizwe by themselves out of their own political consciousness, out of their own appreciation that they believe that uMkhonto weSizwe will play an important role and that they will make the necessary contribution. It is not only legal minds that president Zuma is assembling in the MK party. There are brilliant minds in the collective of MK party,” Shivambu clarified.

Shivambu’s appointment comes on the heels of another significant move within the South African political landscape: the recent joining of former EFF national chairperson Dali Mpofu to the MKP. Mpofu, in a statement, asserted his belief that the MKP is the only vehicle capable of achieving national unity and emancipation, a claim that underscores the ideological differences driving these political shifts. He stated that he was among those who founded the MKP in 2023.

The defections to the MKP have not gone unnoticed by the EFF. Last week, EFF MP Carl Niehaus publicly voiced his support for Malema, emphasising his unwavering loyalty to the EFF and dismissing those who have left as “betrayers.” In a post on X, Malema himself indicated that he remains unfazed by Mpofu’s departure, even predicting further departures from senior EFF leaders.

Niehaus’ statement read, “Thank you my CIC, President Julius S Malema, we will follow your clear and principled leadership. Let the betrayers leave, we are better off without them. I for one am going nowhere. I have made a clear, and unequivocal choice for the EFF South Africa. The EFF is the only revolutionary home I can have.”