Why does Malema want Ndlozi back in the EFF?

EFF leader Julius Malema says he will roll out a red carpet for former EFF member Mbuyiseni Ndlozi if he decides to come back to the party.

Ndlozi left the EFF a year ago after tensions with the party leadership, who had accused him of being a traitor and a double agent.  

It was alleged that he had not informed them that the party’s former deputy president Floyd Shivambu would leave the EFF to become part of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party. They also launched an internal investigation against him, accusing him of being part of an infiltration plan by the MK Party.

“He is one of a few who conducted himself in a different manner because I know for a fact that once they leave the EFF, they start behaving like they are potential patients of a mental hospital,” he told the SABC on Thursday.

Malema’s renewed attitude towards Ndlozi comes at a time when he faces the possibility of serving time in prison and being removed from parliament, after being found guilty of violating gun laws.

Political analysts believe his party could suffer a leadership crisis if Malema receives a lengthy sentence in April.

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A big NO to Shivambu

When Malema was asked if he would take Floyd Shivambu back, he said he would not.

Shivambu is the current leader of Mayibuye Afrika, a new political party that has been rocked by scandals since its formation, including leadership squabbles.

“Mbuyiseni never took a T-shirt of another political party, so the constitution of the EFF is clear. Once you leave the EFF, and you put on a T-shirt of another political party, you cannot come back because the EFF is not a Holiday Inn where you check in and check out.

“Mbuyiseni did not check out and go to another political party. He said I am taking a break, let me make some reflections, and decide on my way forward without being emotional. Of course, he has been engaging in the discourse, but he has never degenerated,” he said.

Ndlozi’s exit

Before Ndlozi left the EFF in February last year, he was told to stay home and desist from participating in party activities until the party concludes its investigation.

Malema himself had fired some verbal shots at him, criticising him in public. This sparked a debate about why Ndlozi chose to remain in the EFF despite the hostile environment he had faced since Shivambu’s departure.

Ndlozi said it was not his place to tell Malema and the other leaders that Shivambu was planning to leave the EFF for the MK Party.

It is unclear whether a report has been produced regarding the accusations the EFF levelled against Ndlozi.

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