EFF members appear at the Burgersfort magistrate court on charges of assault.

BURGERSFORT- Barely a year after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was formed; it seems the party is experiencing some infighting.

In the Tubatse subregion, the party is rumoured to be in tatters. EFF’s coordinator in Tubatse, Mr Thomas Monate ,was recently assaulted by other party members in Ward 31.

The alleged assault took place at Mangabane (TCL) on August 3. Monate opened an assault case against Messrs Surprise Malapane and George Kgapane who appeared in the Burgersfort Magistrate’s Court on August 7.

The two face charges of assault, with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm. They however, pleaded not guilty to the charges citing that Monate was assaulted by other members.

“It just happens that he knows us, as the active members of the party in our ward, we are not the ones who inflicted pain on him,” they alleged.

They stressed he was assaulted by community members aligned to the official opposition party in Limpopo province. The two accused are currently out on bail and it is not known when they will appear again. Speaking to Steelburger/Lydenburg News after their appearance, the two alleged that the party’s leaders in Tubatse had not been chosen on merit.

“We have leaders who don’t even have membership cards; some of them don’t know anything about politics. They were only chosen because they are cronies of the leaders. We just don’t have a leadership here, they are dragging our party through the mud,” they alleged.

Meanwhile Steelburger/ Lydenburg News contacted party members in Ward 31 to get their views. Most felt the matter should have been settled out of court.

“We know Monate was angry but as the leader of the party he should have engaged with the provincial leadership to settle it out of court,” they said.

The paper did not get comments from the party’s spokesman in Limpopo, Mr Michael Mathebe and also not from Monate.