Floyd Shivambu dropped a bombshell on Thursday and confirmed that he has resigned from the EFF and was joining former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
FLOYD Shivambu dropped a bombshell on Thursday and confirmed that he has resigned from the EFF and was joining former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
Shivambu, flanked by Julius Malema and other leaders of the EFF, read out his resignation letter and confirmed that he would be joining the MK Party.
Shivambu sent his letter to party leader Malema on Wednesday informing him about his resignation from the party.
The press briefing was held at the EFF’s headquarters, Winnie Madikizela Mandela House, in Johannesburg on Thursday.
At the briefing, Shivambu said he would not be renewing his membership of the EFF and also requested to be released from all his party duties including his position as a Member of Parliament.
He mentioned that him leaving the EFF should not be seen as him losing confidence in the party.
“My non-renewal of the EFF membership is not a vote of no confidence in the organisation but a revolutionary act that will allow progressive forces to unite and work towards the agenda,” he said.
Malema said he accepted Shivambu’s resignation because “to me he is not just a comrade, he is a brother, and he will remain a brother even when he pursues his political career differently”.
“The constitution of the EFF does not allow people to resign and join other political parties and come back to the party. But I have made this offer to Shivambu that the day you decide to come back, you are more than welcome,” he said.
He clarified that the deputy president position will not be occupied until their conference in December.
Sources said that difficulties, including the VBS scandal, have shaken the EFF in the wake of the May general elections where the party were unable to grow its support.
Malema and Shivambu have been in the media spotlight following claims that they benefited financially from the VBS mutual bank scandal.
The two have been accused of corruption, fraud, and money laundering.
This comes after the bank’s chair, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, alleged that Malema and Shivambu were implicated in accepting illegal benefits from the bank.
Matodzi pleaded guilty to 33 charges, including corruption, theft, and money laundering. He stated that the EFF has received monthly donations and a so-called business loan of millions of rands from the bank since 2017 through a front company, Sgameka Projects.
According to Matodzi’s allegations, the EFF received the money as a bribe, with Malema and Shivambu in particular benefiting personally.
Many low-income depositors were affected when more than R2 billion was taken from VBS.
