Floyd Shivambu has been appointed MK party secretary general with immediate effect. (Photo by Luba Lesolle/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
Former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu has been appointed secretary general of former ANC and South African president Jacob Zuma’s MK party, with immediate effect.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the MK party said that Zuma had, in consultation with the party’s national officials, appointed Shivambu to the position.
Shivambu’s appointment follows the resignation of Dr. Sifiso Maseko on Wednesday. He will continue to serve on the MK’s national high command.
After resigning from the EFF just three months ago, Shivambu joined the MK party as its national organiser.
EFF president Julius Malema was visibly shaken when the two — Malema has likened himself and Shivambu to “brothers” — held a press briefing in August to announce Shivambu’s resignation. Both men cut their political teeth in the ANC youth league, before being expelled in 2012/2013.
Malema has since said, on several occasions, that he expects more leaders and members to exit the party.
Shivambu’s resignation followed a significant decline in the May 29 elections for the EFF, with many of its supporters voting for the MK party, allowing the latter to officially knock the EFF off the podium as the third biggest political party in the country.
The EFF and MK party belong to the “progressive caucus”, which has styled itself as an alternative to the government of national unity, formed after the ANC lost its majority in stunning fashion at the polls.
As reported by the M&G on Friday, tension has arisen in the progressive caucus as senior EFF leaders jump ship to join the MK party and mass resignations take place among rank-and-file members in favour of MK.
This has led to paranoia within the red berets that the MK party has “infiltrated” the ranks of the EFF to destabilise the party.
The 11-year-old EFF and just short of 12-months-old MK party are both experiencing significant internal volatility, with the latest senior EFF leader to “defect” to the MK being advocate Dali Mpofu, who announced his resignation this week.
Mpofu was a former EFF chairperson, and while still in the role, acted as Zuma’s legal representative in civil and criminal cases.
The MK, on its part, has seen the firing and shuffling of several senior members, allegedly directly at the hand of the 82-year-old Zuma.
In the statement released on Sunday, the MK party said Zuma had expressed “full confidence” in Shivambu, and the leadership of the party.
Source:
mg.co.za
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