Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has confirmed his departure from the EFF.Picture: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspaper.
Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s resignation as an EFF member has set tongues wagging, ending months of speculation over his immediate future but he has not revealed his next political home, saying he is turning his attention to academia instead of furthering his political aspirations.
Some reports had linked him to the MK Party due to his close relationship with former deputy president, Floyd Shivambu while other suggestions indicated the possibility of Ndlozi joining the ANC.
Ndlozi, who had last month resigned from his position in the National Assembly following frosty relations with party leader, Julius Malema shocked many when he announced that he has left active party politics during an interview with the SABC.
"I am leaving party politics, I believe I have made my contribution in that space,” he said.
“We don’t live in a one-party state, we are not in camps or a band. Politics in South Africa is a free activity and party politics are not the only way to contribute to society.”
Ndlozi revealed that he had been suspended by the party over his close relationship with Shivambu, now the MKP’s secretary-general, adding that his failure to inform the party about Shivambu’s decision to leave the EFF was central to his mistreatment by the party.
“I could not attend the conference of the EFF due to a dispute over my suspension. I was suspended about six weeks before the conference. The suspension was unconventional as it did not rely on the code of conduct.
“Largely the suspension rested on two counts. The leadership said it is in possession of an intelligence report which claimed that I was part of the infiltration strategy by the MKP and I am working with the MKP and was planning to join them,” he said.
On the issue of his close relationship with Shivambu, Ndlozi said it was not his position to divulge Shivambu’s plan to leave the Red Berets.
“The second count rested largely on the fact that I knew about the then deputy president’s departure and I did not tell the leadership. Of course, I was told to stay at home,” he said.
Reacting to Ndlozi’s departure from active politics, political analyst Thobani Zikalala indicated that he is not surprised by Ndlozi’s decision to distance himself from the organisation he helped build in the last 11 years.
“This was bound to happen following the departure of Floyd from the party. There was no any other solution to the relationship other than that he parts ways with the EFF.”
On the possibility of Ndlozi joining the MK Party and the further fragmentation of the relations with the MKP, Zikalala said it is concerning that the two parties now see themselves as competitors and fierce rivals rather than collaborators in Parliament.
“Of course inside Parliament, they may work together and must be cordial to each other. I think politically when they still view themselves as enemies, it is problematic because that unity is important. For his own credibility it was important that he (Ndlozi) left the EFF and did not immediately go to another political party,” Zikalala said.
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za
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