EFF defectors Floyd Shivambu and Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi will be rewarded for joining the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), the party has confirmed.
Shivambu announced his resignation on Thursday from the Red Berets, a party he co-founded with Julius Malema 11 years ago after they were kicked out of the ANC.
Manyi, who joined the EFF last year after abandoning the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has also thrown his weight behind MKP leader and former president Jacob Zuma.
Vincent Mdunge, spokesperson for the MKP in KwaZulu-Natal, described Shivambu and Manyi as political giants who they were excited to have on board.
“Remember people would not come for nothing, they would come for specific reasons.
Therefore, we got to look after them, which then means we have to reshuffle and make a movement either in Parliament or elsewhere in the MKP where they can contribute while they are also benefiting because they earned salaries from where they are coming from,” said Mdunge, adding that Zuma reserved the rights on where Shivambu and Manyi would be deployed.
And seemingly the MKP had already made plans for the two, by firing about 15 members of Parliament last week, making space for newcomers.
A senior Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) official said those who were not on the party’s candidate list that was submitted to the commission ahead of the May general elections, would have to wait for a year from the elections before able to do so.
He said the party could only reshuffle the list or bring in new people only if there were people on the list who had died, fired, or resigned from the party.
“They cannot reshuffle by taking a person who was number one on the list down to number seven or bringing in an outsider to be number one,” said the IEC official.
However, Shivambu and Manyi stood a good chance of remaining in the national Parliament as the MKP was still in the process of replacing those who were fired.
Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Manyi who brings in academic and business experience as a former leader of the Progressive Professionals Forum, the Black Management Forum and was also linked to the formation of the Black Business Forum, said he was yet to learn of the role he would play in the MKP.
“I am still familiarising myself, I still need to have a discussion with uBaba (Zuma) and uBaba would decide where to deploy me,” said Manyi.
Mdunge said the announcement of Shivambu and Manyi joining the MKP has caused panic “because some of them have their own aspirations”.
“Of course, people panic when they see big giants crossing over. This would cause a bit of stress but at the same time, it is a huge investment for the MKP in leading a direction even in merging with other political parties,” he said.
The relationship between the MKP and EFF in the Progressive Caucus, which was formed to counter the ANC/DA-led Government of National Unity (GNU) would remain intact despite this defection, said Mdunge.
“We work well with the EFF, we are not skinning them alive. It is a huge accomplishment, it is a good move for the MKP and it is a huge benefit.
“There is nothing untoward about it, it is beneficial to the MKP in terms of formulation of structures and in terms of taking the organisation forward,” said Mdunge.
He said the doors were open for others who would add value to the MKP.
“Obviously there are lots of people who would come from the EFF. It is not just in the EFF as even in the ANC there are senior officials who are beginning to consider joining MK,” he said.
Mdunge said it was expected that with the union Cosatu and SACP’s disgruntlement with the GNU the MKP would swell.
“Some of them are still meeting privately of their own accord, but most of them have pronounced that they want to leave the movement (ANC) and there is no other home except the MKP,” he said.
Sunday Tribune