Addressing media on the sidelines of a meeting in Pietermaritzburg, Mngxitama also called on party members to rally behind making the EFF the home of the working class and poor people.
He was joined by other suspended party members Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, Lucky Thwala and Mpho Ramakatsa at the meeting.
“We want to save the EFF because we cannot allow a situation which we see in other parties taking place here, where democratic principles are overlooked because of certain power individuals,” he said.
“We will fight for that because we believe in the founding principles of EFF. We are saying, not in our name shall EFF become like other parties.”
He also explained his decision to decline nomination at the party’s inaugural conference in Mangaung last year.
“I declined nomination at the conference because I realised that there were guidelines that were not followed,” he said.
“For instance people were allowed to attend conference if they voted for a certain slate, but even then I did not realise just how flawed the process had been.”
KZN developments
Litchfield-Tshabalala said they were concerned about developments in KwaZulu-Natal, citing the elective conference held in Durban last Saturday as an example of individuals trampling on the party’s principles.
“There were only four of the 11 regions present … for the conference and yet it continued. How can something like that be allowed to happen?” Litchfield-Tshabalala said.
While the meeting was meant to begin at 9am, it was delayed by over three hours to allow members coming from as far as Zululand and Newcastle to attend.
Police maintained a strong presence at the meeting venue, with around 10 vehicles, including members of the tactical response team, present.
Court case
On Thursday, the EFF said it had not yet received papers lodged by four of its suspended MPs in the High Court in Johannesburg.
“Nevertheless, when we do receive papers, the EFF shall respond and all fighters and South Africans can rest assured that the EFF will win this case,” spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement.
He said the disciplinary action against Litchfield-Tshabalala, Ramakatsa, Twala, and Mngxitama was continuing, with the hearings having begun on Wednesday.
The four were suspended by the party in February.
This followed an attempted media conference ahead of the state-of-the-nation address in Cape Town led by Mngxitama.
The conference was abandoned and Mngxitama made a hasty exit when other EFF members arrived and objected to it being held.
The Mngxitama faction announced a “Save the Soul of the EFF” campaign, accusing the party leadership of corruption and cover ups.
The four said they decided not to appear before the disciplinary committee on Wednesday. – Sapa