Tito Mboweni: ‘Some celebrate what they call the demise of the EFF, they should not’

Former finance minister Tito Mboweni believes the EFF has a role to play in South African politics and those prophesying its “demise” amid leadership troubles should not celebrate.

The red berets have been a focal point in recent weeks after the party’s deputy leader Floyd Shivambu resigned on the eve of the 12th commemoration of the Marikana massacre. Shivambu left the party for Jacob Zuma's MK Party months before its elective conference in December.  

His resignation has created a stir and ignited worry for EFF supporters concerned about its growth after losing votes in the May 29 elections.  

While party supporters mull over the future, Mboweni has warned against celebrating the EFF's dark moments.  

“There are some among us who are openly or privately celebrating what they call the demise of the EFF. They really shouldn’t. The EFF has a role to play, like them or not.”

He addressed his statement to EFF leader Julius Malema on social media, offering him kind words. Mboweni has not always had kind words for the EFF. Over the years he has clashed with the party's leaders over political and economic ideologies.  

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi had similar sentiments.

Addressing the ANC's provincial lekgotla at the weekend, he said: “The reality is, the departure of the deputy president of the EFF Floyd Shivambu, it can't be seen as a non-entity, it is a historic event. As the leadership of the ANC we must analyse it in a way that is going to strengthen the ANC. If we are going to be quick to celebrate the departure of Shivambu from the EFF we will forget that ourselves are going through a departure of ANC members to the MK Party. We must manage these departures in a manner that we do not get easily excited. The departure of Floyd is a double-edged sword we need to manage carefully.” 

Mboweni's statement sparked debate on social media.  

Thembi Xaba, commenting on the debate, said the EFF should stop being friendly with Zuma’s party because they would lose more votes.  

“The EFF must take a stand to stop working with the so-called progressive forces. The progressive forces, notably the MK, will continue taking and eating from the EFF.” 

The MK Party in the May 29 elections took the EFF’s spot with the third highest number of votes. It received 14.58% [4,584,864] of the vote, while the EFF's share declined to 9.52% [3,090,020]. 

The EFF had a disappointing election in KwaZulu-Natal and despite investing resources and launching its manifesto at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium, the party had a poor showing, getting just 2.56% of the vote, a significant drop from 9.96% in 2019 in the province.   

Another social media user Olwethu Mtati said: “As an ordinary South African citizen and voter, I believe Malema lost support when he insulted South Africans over the issue of open borders. While he is an incredible leader and I 100% agree that the EFF plays an essential role in our democracy and freedom, his approach to sensitive issues such as border control can be overly aggressive. His tone sometimes suggests violence, which is concerning. We cannot afford any sense of chaos. He needs to listen to the people of South Africa more and do what we want.” 

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