Johannesburg - As the EFF elective conference draws closer, it has emerged that party deputy president Floyd Shivambu and secretary-general Godrich Gardee might find themselves out in the cold as there is a growing call for them to be removed from the executive.
Sources within the EFF said Shivambu might be replaced by national chairperson Dali Mpofu and Gardee by either national executive committee member Marshal Dlamini or party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
Independent Media has learnt that there was growing discontent about Shivambu and Gardee’s performance, including failure to sell the party throughout the continent.
A senior EFF leader who declined to be named said party president Julius Malema was the only one who was secure in holding on to his position.
The EFF is due to hold its conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Joburg between December 13 and 16.
Sources said the EFF had been split into two factions and both of them were fully behind Malema.
“One of the groups (factions) wants the deputy president removed and only kept as an ordinary member of the national executive committee.
“He is accused of having failed to perform his duties, of which one of them was to promote the party across the continent,” said the source.
During the EFF leadership’s site visit at Nasrec late last month, Malema took a swipe at Gardee about the party’s failure to sell itself in other African states.
Malema said while those countries had shown interest towards the EFF, the party had failed to grab the opportunity.
However, another source said it was not Gardee’s responsibility to promote the EFF across the continent, but Malema was also challenging Shivambu about his failure to perform his duties.
“Both groups are of the view that treasurer-general Leigh-Ann Mathys should also be replaced. There is a view that Veronica Mente should replace Dali Mpofu,” said another source.
KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Vusi Khoza said the new leadership would continue fighting against corruption.
The red berets became popular by calling on former president Jacob Zuma to step down, but the noise died down after President Cyril Ramaphosa took over.
“We are dealing with Pravin Gordhan’s corruption and rogue unit (Sars). It is just that previously it was like we were too vocal because the target was Zuma as it was easy to identify corruption under him”.