The Flipside: What's next for EFF after Floyd Shivambu's defection?
The deputy leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, Floyd Shivambu has defected to Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. His departure is seen as a huge blow to EFF leader, Julius Malema after the party lost significant support in the May elections.
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00:00Floyd Chivambu was a founding member of the South African Opposition Party, the Economic
00:07Freedom Fighters, EFF, which was launched in 2013.
00:11He served as the party's deputy leader until his decision to quit on the 15th of August
00:162024.
00:17But that wasn't the real shocker.
00:20He joined Malema's rival, the Umkhontowe Sizwe MK party led by former president Jacob Zuma.
00:27Chivambu's exit is seen as a significant blow to EFF leader Julius Malema, coming just
00:41after the party's share of votes fell below 10% in May's national election.
00:47So why is Chivambu leaving the EFF at this time?
00:51And where does this leave the EFF?
00:54Welcome to the Flipside.
00:56Floyd Chivambu and Julius Malema have been politically aligned in the EFF for the past
01:0210 years.
01:03Not many saw this breakup coming.
01:06Chivambu has a substantial support base within the EFF and his defection has already triggered
01:11other resignations, highlighting the influence he had in the party.
01:15To be a huge loss, of course, for the EFF and might obviously erode their own constituency
01:22in the different provinces in South Africa.
01:24In his usual combative style, Malema wasted no time in addressing how the EFF would weather
01:30this political storm.
01:32This is a testing moment.
01:34The organization that has lived beyond 10 years has never been through this testing
01:41moment.
01:42The EFF will have to pass this test or it will have to die.
01:48So what led Chivambu to leave the EFF for Zuma's MK party?
01:53Was it greed for power or is there something more?
01:57One has to see this move to the MK through the prism of his own dissatisfaction with
02:03his relationship with Julius Malema, certainly, and how Julius Malema, perhaps specifically,
02:09was engaged in the debates around negotiations around GNU, the government of national unity
02:14in South Africa.
02:15So there was clearly a ruckus between the two over how they should proceed as the EFF.
02:20It makes sense to step up.
02:22I think what doesn't make sense is then the stepping out into the MK.
02:26For the record, Malema has defended his handling of the coalition talks, refuting claims that
02:32he blocked Chivambu's chances of becoming a minister in the government.
02:36While it is still too early to predict what will become of Chivambu in the MK party, one
02:42thing is certain.
02:43The Economic Freedom Fighters party must now fight to remain relevant.
02:49And that's the flip side.