A painful year for EFF, Malema admits
EFF leader Julius Malema has acknowledged that 2024 has been a difficult year for the red berets but remains confident of the party’s survival.
Malema hosted journalists at Nasrec Expo in Johannesburg on Monday, the venue of the EFF’s elective conference.
The conference will take place from 13 to 15 December.
A relatively poor performance at the polls in May, where the EFF only managed to garner 9.52% of the national vote, was followed by an exodus of senior members from the party. .
Deputy President and founding member Floyd Shivambu opted to join the MK Party.
Shivambu’s exit was followed by the party's first national chairperson, Dali Mpofu, MP Mzwanele Manyi and former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
All four opted to join the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party.
"It has been a very fruitful and exciting five years, but this year has been a very painful year, with the election outcome and with the recent developments,” Malema said, reflecting on the period since the party’s 2019 elective conference.
“We did not close it with a bang. To lose members is not an easy thing … It is a painful experience. But we are born to do this thing; we are born to lead society, and we can't be cry-babies," Malema added.
Malema remained confident that the party would emerge stronger once the conference had concluded.
"Out of a difficult period, a new thing and a beautiful thing will be born. We have to go through this test to demonstrate if we are here to stay or not. It is a necessary test that we have to pass with flying colours," said Malema.
Malema also addressed accusations that he has a divisive and dictatorial leadership style, stating that he has been consistent in the manner he has led the party.
"We are not going to be made sheepish and undecisive because we want to please a non-existing narrative that we are divisive. How can you build such a big organisation, not only in the country, continentally and in the diaspora, if you have a divisive leadership?
“Why would you bring so many people into stadiums, packing stadiums if you are divisive because the consequence of divisive leadership is that nothing succeeds,” he said.
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