Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema fired the first salvo at his friend and former confidante, Floyd Shivambu, at the start of the week. Angry, fuming and combative, he stopped short of using the word sell out, or did he?
Malema, addressing a Ground Forces Forum crowd in Soweto, spoke of the betrayal of Shivambu jumping ship from the EFF to the former president Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto WeSizwe Party (MKP).
“I asked the deputy president what I did wrong to him, so I cannot repeat it to someone else, he said ‘it’s a political decision to leave’,” said Malema, before unleashing furious venom and announcing that he was effectively swallowing Shivambu’s office into his office.
The EFF’s Governance Task Unit, which was headed by Shivambu as a deployment vehicle for the red berets, is now under lock and key with Malema. All traces of Shivambu in the party would be removed, we were also told.
Hell hath no fury like Malema scorned.
Speaking at an MKP press conference in Sandton on Thursday, Shivambu had the opportunity to fire back at Malema, and he did, in a nine-minute lecture.
New Mkhonto WeSizwe Party National Organizer Floyd Shivambu: Why I left the EFF and joined the MKP #MKPartyPresser #FloydShivambu pic.twitter.com/eRE134DFuF
Shivambu said in the MKP - with the likes of Brian Molefe, Siyabonga Gama and Tom Moyane, the MKP had deployed the “best of the best” among its rank and file. Of course, the State Capture Inquiry recommended further investigations against all three.
“I agree that we should unite all the progressive forces into common agenda because this thing of small unviable political parties is not sustainable for the future of black people in South Africa.
“The temptation as well, and I am not characterizing the EFF, is that when you have multiples of these, they end up being fiefdoms of individuals,” he said.
The irony was that in firing at Malema - and this is no defence of Malema, Shivambu can in the same breathe be seen to be firing his daggers at his new political principal, Zuma.
Shivambu denounced smaller political parties, characterising them as “fiefdoms of individuals”.
Of course, this was aimed at his former Commander In Chief, Malema, but he was careful to state that it wasn’t, instead pointing to the United Democratic Movement of Bantu Holomisa and the Inkatha Freedom Party, formerly of the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
But Malema, Holomisa and Buthelezi aside, the MKP is also Zuma’s little fiefdom. It is no different, and some may even argue, that it is an eight-month old monolithic party, run in the image and disguise of Zuma’s wishes, and perhaps those of his daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla.
The MKP has shown in character and the manifesting chaos around it, that it is exactly that too. Zuma pleaded for time for the party during an hour long speech, and he asserted yet again, that people would be fired, should they not perform. In announcing the MKP’s new high command team, we heard that Zuma still had the ultimate powers to hire and fire as he pleased.
So Mr Shivambu, have you not joined another “fiefdom of individuals”? But of course, Shivambu is not driven by positions and he is very happy to take up his new position as national organizer, forming branches and structures for the MKP.
In his own words, he said:
“We are not in the business of trying to please each others egos here, we are in the business of building a revolutionary movement that is going to emancipate the black majority and we are unapologetic about that.
“President Zuma when he was inducting all of us says we might be friends, but friendship does not apply here. If you do not do things right, you are going to be taken care of appropriately,” said Shivambu.
He continues: “If I am removed as national organizer (of the MKP), I am going to be a member, and if I am removed as a member I am going to be a volunteer and put posters even without the approval of the leadership”.
Shivambu continues: “I am not here for opportunistic purposes, and that is what we are all about. All progressive forces, let’s unite and build this movement, there is no dictatorship, there is political discussions and all the times that we have got to interact with President Zuma, he has the patience to have political and ideological discussions to persuade people about how to move forward,” said Shivambu.
According to Shivambu, other smaller parties may be fiefdoms of individuals, but which other party in South Africa’s contemporary political history has hired, fired, re-hired and fired again a secretary general within the space of a few weeks?
Which other political party hires and fires Members of Parliament with such furious agility and without any reasonable explanation?
Malema fired a salvo at Zuma and the MKP on Monday, saying the party was head-quartered in Nkandla, at Zuma’s private residency, KwaDakudunuse.
Malema, Shivambu and other MKP leaders have all spoken to the idea of a continued force in the image of the Progressive Caucus of so-called black parties that will ensure the liberation of South Africa’s poor and working class.
The Progressive Caucus currently consists of the MKP, EFF, ATM, UAT and National Cape Coloured Congress, the parties that were frozen out of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity.
Will Malema and the EFF, who have been attacking and mocking Shivambu all week, be mature enough to sit at the same table and work towards a shared and common goal without any mistrust?
Malema said on Monday that the Shivambu situation, one he clearly believes to be an outright betrayal, would not cause divisions in the Progressive Caucus and that they would continue to work together with Zuma and Shivambu’s MKP.
After Malema and Shivambu pursued Zuma politically, and undoubtedly had a huge hand in Zuma finally losing his job as President, it is Zuma who has now returned to drive a wedge at Winnie Madikizela Mandela House.
Malema, Shivambu, Zuma, there’s history, bad blood and recent overtures, but are they truly allies who can continue to lend each other support and trust one another politically?
After over 15 years as comrades in arms and brothers par none, the relationship between Malema and Shivambu will never be the same again, no matter what happens as a result of this MKP project.
Time will tell about what becomes of the Progressive Caucus, as it will of Shivambu, who one cannot help but feel, is currently one big walking contradiction.
* Sihle Mlambo is a Content Manager at IOL.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.