EFF leader Julius Malema has broken his silence on the exodus of senior party leaders to the MKP saying he is not intimidated by former president and MKP leader Jacob Zuma.
EFF leader Julius Malema has broken his silence on the exodus of senior party leaders to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) saying he is not intimidated by former president and MKP leader Jacob Zuma and was ready to fight.
Malema was speaking on the party’s podcast. The interview was made available on the party’s social media platforms.
“This is not the first time he is inviting me back to fight with him and I’ll do it; I’ll do it with ease. I’m not scared of Zuma or all his people,” he said.
“There is no way anyone is going to threaten the existence of the EFF and that person becomes a friend, that will be a lie. People keep stabbing you in the back and when they meet you in public, they want to be smiling. No, keep your distance,” he added.
Malema made the comments after high-ranking members resigned from the EFF and then joined MKP.
Former EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu was the first to leave and has since been appointed MKP secretary general; he was followed by former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and advocate Dali Mpofu.
MK Party is the third-largest party in the country after the May elections, less than a year after it was launched.
It replaced the EFF in this position, which saw its vote share drop from 10.8% in 2019 to 9.68% in this year’s elections.
During the podcast, Malema said that before the May 29, 2024, elections, the EFF and other opposition parties were called to Zuma’s homestead in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.
He said there was a discussion about the EFF being dissolved so that it could form part of the MKP.
Malema said he didn’t attend the meeting but sent some of his then senior members to attend the meeting.
“Dali went to make a presentation in that first meeting where he said the EFF must shut down with the other parties and then form something under Zuma’s leadership,” said Malema.
Last Friday, Malema spoke to the media during President Duma Boko's inauguration ceremony in Botswana, addressing the status of his relationship with Zuma.
“I don't have any relationship with President Zuma. We are political contenders; he is a leader of a political party and I am a leader of a political party. That’s where our relationship starts and ends.
“Where we agree on issues, we will share a common perspective; where we disagree, we will disagree respectfully so,” he said.
Malema affirmed that the EFF will not fall apart under his watch.
“You cannot destroy that which you have not built. It can't fall apart. It's our own child, it's our baby and we will decide what we do with it. The EFF is the future, and it cannot be destabilised by opportunism,” he added.
Meanwhile, the EFF is preparing for its elective conference next month.
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