As the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) prepare for their national elective conference in December, provincial chairpersons are advocating for a constitutional amendment to abolish the deputy positions within the party’s leadership.
The move could stunt the political ambitions of MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Poppy Mailola, who are understood to have been planning to stand for the two positions of deputy president and deputy secretary general.
Four provincial leaders who spoke to the Mail & Guardian said an overhaul of the constitution to allow for this could help manage party members’ expectations and make them less impatient to assume the top positions.
The leaders said they would propose this party constitutional amendment at the party’s national people’s assembly with the confidence that they have enough support to win the discussions and votes for the amendment.
The assembly is a gathering of party branches held to elect new leaders. It is composed of 90% branch delegates and 10% provincial leaders, who are part of the central command team, the EFF’s highest decision-making body and national structure.
The move comes after former party deputy leader Floyd Shivambu defected to the uMkhonto weSizwe party, a move sparked by what the provincial leaders described as his “impatience” to become the party’s next leader.
“What we have learnt from Shivambu’s actions which led to him leaving the party is that people who hold deputy positions believe that their turn to lead in that position should come. When it does not, they get upset, stage a coup and leave, leaving us vulnerable. The best way for that not to happen is by cutting the leadership positions to four instead of six,” one provincial leader, who declined to be named, said.
“This change would help maintain stability within the EFF by ensuring that leadership roles are fewer and clearly defined, minimising conflicts that arise from unmet leadership aspirations,” another added.
But this plan clashes with the wishes of many EFF supporters who had envisioned Ndlozi stepping into the role of secretary general, with current office bearer Marshall Dlamini moving up to the deputy leader position.
“There is no need for Ndlozi to be in the top leadership. The man is brilliant in parliament. He can stay there, we will support him there, but the top four can help stabilise the party. It is just unfortunate that we already have two men at the top, and the bottom two have to go to the women as part of the party’s gender-neutral policy,” one leader said.
In 2019, the party resolved to implement a gender-neutral leadership structure, achieving a 50/50 representation with three women and three men elected to the top six at the party’s second national assembly.
Should the provincial leaders succeed in their quest to amend the constitution, this will see two men and two women taking the party forward.
Shivambu’s exit had been seen by many as an opportunity for Ndlozi to rise and occupy the secretary general position because of his charismatic personality. But the provincial leaders who spoke to the M&G dismissed Ndlozi’s aspirations, saying since he had not sought their support for the conference, they would “gladly” support Dlamini instead.
“Ndlozi is the people’s bae (beloved) and loved by many, but we are happy with our current SG and will vote in his favour any time because Ndlozi is a small fish compared to Dlamini and anyone wise enough can see that,” one said.
The leaders said while Dlamini’s supporters wanted him to get the deputy president position, they would vote for him to return as secretary general under a top-four scenario.
They would also support EFF chairperson Veronica Mente coming back to her position, together with Omphile Maotwe as treasury general.
Mente previously told the M&G that she would accept nomination to serve as a member of the party’s top leadership. Maotwe is set to return to her position for her role in rescuing the Red Berets in its time of financial need.
Dlamini rose to prominence during the party’s second national conference in 2019 after finding favour with Malema for leading successful campaigns throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
He has been credited with increasing the party’s support base in that province from 70 000 in 2014 to more than 300 000 in 2019. But in the 29 May elections the EFF’s share of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal plummeted from 9.96% in 2019 to 2.56%.
EFF Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga also backed Dlamini for reappointment as secretary general, asserting that he had demonstrated “beyond any doubt” his administrative competence.
Mpumalanga leader Collen Sedibe also said he was happy with Dlamini’s leadership and that he wouldn’t like to see any change in that office.
The party’s branches are racing to finalise the recruitment of members and renewal of their membership to meet the guidelines to participate in the conference before September 9.
The leaders need their provincial branches to meet a 10% minimum threshold of votes acquired in their constituency during the May elections to participate in the conference.
Following this process, branches will conduct Branch People’s Assemblies to elect their leaders, nominate delegates for the conference, and select their preferred candidates for the top positions. The newly elected leadership will also play a crucial role in the provincial chairpersons being re-elected in 2026 when the next round of provincial assemblies are held.
