EFF founder member and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has been barred from its national conference, taking place from 13 to 15 December. The move appears to be part of a wider strategy to curtail his participation in party activities.
A new leadership will be elected; there will be jockeying for the deputy presidency, a position left vacant by Floyd Shivambu who joined the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP).
Although Ndlozi has not availed himself for the position, the party leadership is not taking a chance and has barred him from attending.
Insiders have claimed that Ndlozi’s presence at the conference posed a serious threat for the leadership, who believed that he was “just playing politics so that he can contest”.
Ndlozi has not attended key EFF meetings in the past two weeks, including the recent two-day meeting of the central command team (CCT) last week.
City Press understands that Ndlozi was removed from the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition last month.
“One thing that we know for sure is that Ndlozi is not leaving the EFF, unless they expel him. But even expelling him would need a reason. And so far, he has not done anything that we can say warrants such action against him,” said one source.
The party’s former national chairperson, Dali Mpofu, resigned last week, reigniting speculation that Ndlozi could be the next to jump ship.
Sources told City Press that some leaders suspected Ndlozi of being on his way out but were waiting for decisions taken at the conference next month.
Ndlozi was accused of keeping quiet after the departure of Shivambu. This speculation also resulted in Malema launching what many people believed was an attack on Ndlozi a couple of times.
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