South Africa’s third biggest political party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) has appointed former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu as the party’s national organizer.
Shivambu’s resignation from the Julius Malema-led Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to join MK was announced on August 15. He replaces former Minister of Public Works, Nathi Nhleko is now the MK party’s national chairperson.
The announcement was made on August 22 at a press conference in Sandton attended by the MK’s highest decision-making body, the 8-member National High Command.
Shivambu labeled his former party EFF as a personal fiefdom when he said.
This thing of small unviable parties is not sustainable for the future of black people in South Africa. It is not sustainable at all.
The temptation is that (and I am not characterizing the EFF) when you have multiple of these (small parties), they end up being fiefdoms of individuals like the IFP and UDM arrangement.
In response to Malema who labeled those who left the EFF as traitors Shivambu said
The attempt for unification is not an opportunistic one because there were electoral declines of the EFF and all of those things, it is a genuine political discussion that all South Africans must enter into, including those who are in favor of the revolution.
Revolution is the content of what we are standing for, it is not about individuals. Some people were saying you are betraying me, where does that enter?
You don’t even once suggest I am betraying the revolution. I will never betray the revolution, because we are not in the business of trying to please each other’s egos.
We are in the business of building a revolutionary movement that is going to emancipate the black majority and Africans in particular. We are unapologetic about that.
Shivambu also spoke about friendships in the revolution saying
When President Zuma was inducting all of us yesterday, he said we might be friends or think we are friends but friendship will not apply here.
If you do not do things right you are going to be taken care of appropriately. Some people were asking what was going to happen because in MK, leadership changes every week. What if they change you?
I said if I am removed as National Organiser I am going to be a member. If I am removed as a member I am going to be a volunteer and put up posters even without the approval of leadership. I am not here for opportunistic purposes and that is what we are all about.
