Former EFF Limpopo chairperson Tshilidzi Maraga
Former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Limpopo chairperson Tshilidzi Maraga has dismissed the party’s upcoming elective conference as little more than a public relations stunt designed to serve the interests of powerful friends, rather than uphold its constitution.
Maraga, who recently defected to former ANC president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, criticised the EFF’s internal processes, claiming that financial backers hold undue sway over leadership decisions.
Her departure came after her removal as Limpopo chairperson following the disbandment of the EFF’s Vhembe regional structure. She had previously defied the party leadership by contesting the provincial conference and winning against the candidate hand-picked by the EFF’s top six.
Maraga argues that her ousting had nothing to do with poor electoral performance, but was rooted in her diminishing popularity among party elites.
“Elections in the EFF are engineered,” she told the Mail & Guardian this week.
“When we go to a conference, delegates are already told who to vote for. It’s made to look like democracy, but it’s controlled. It’s open for friends only.”
The EFF continues to experience internal fractures, with more high-profile members exiting the party after disputes.
Maraga is the latest in a string of former leaders who have either left or realigned politically after disagreements with EFF leader Julius Malema. One notable departure was that of Jossey Buthane, the Limpopo provincial chair who defected to the ANC after a fallout with Malema.
In August, the resignation of Floyd Shivambu, the party’s former deputy president, to join the MK party sent shockwaves through the political landscape. His exit was followed by those of Mzwanele Manyi and former EFF student command president Mpho Morolane, deepening the sense of instability within the party’s ranks.
Despite the EFF’s national voter support dropping from 10.8% in 2019 to 9.52% in 2024 — reducing its parliamentary seats from 44 to 39 — Maraga contends that Limpopo did not underperform.
Although the province’s support dipped marginally from 14.43% to 14.12%, it gained two seats in the provincial legislature because of changes in the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s seat determination formula.
Maraga claims that her removal had nothing to do with election outcomes.
“In fact, they should have rewarded us because we didn’t embarrass the party,” she said.
“The province that should have been disbanded is KwaZulu-Natal, which got only 2% of the vote, but they won’t touch them because those comrades have money that’s helping to fund the party.”
Despite the EFF’s poor performance in KwaZulu-Natal in the 29 May general elections, Malema has said there are no plans to disband the party’s provincial structures.
Malema on Thursday said the party was satisfied with the explanation provided by the leadership of KwaZulu-Natal about the province’s performance.
“For this reason, we do not see the need to disband it, and the party’s structures remain intact,” he told a media briefing.
“Leadership in KZN put up a fight. It was not easy for them. It was not an easy task, and we had to reflect on it — what we would have done differently if we were in the same position, given the challenges people faced in KZN.
“We don’t see any element of laziness or abandonment of structures and organisational work among the leaders of the EFF in KZN. The central command team has decided to leave the structures in KZN as they are. We are going to rebuild KZN together with those existing structures.”
The EFF had eight members in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature in the previous administration, but the recent elections reduced this number to just two, with the party’s vote share plummeting from 10% to 2%.
Some have speculated that Malema’s decision not to disband the KwaZulu-Natal leadership was influenced by his close relationship with EFF secretary general Marshall Dlamini, who is from the province and has been credited with driving the party’s rise there.
A sense of being undervalued, combined with frustration over the party’s internal dynamics, drove Maraga to abandon the EFF in favour of the MK party.
She also accused the EFF leadership of bending the rules for favoured members, noting that the current Limpopo chairperson was “parachuted” into the position despite not meeting the requirements outlined in the party’s constitution.
Her criticism comes as the EFF gears up for its national people’s assembly in December, where leadership elections and policy debates are expected to dominate the agenda.
On Thursday, Malema laid out strict guidelines for the event, warning that any delegates stepping out of line would be barred from participating.
Branches that performed poorly in the May general elections — particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape — have already been disqualified from attending the assembly as voting delegates and will participate only as observers.
Malema also outlined a set of procedural changes for the conference, including a proposal to record interviews with delegates to deter the spread of factionalism.
“People who fail at the conference tend to speak negatively about the party afterwards,” he said.
The party is considering this move as a way to control post-conference narratives.
A total of 12 commissions will gather to deliberate on key policy areas, including a proposal to restructure the EFF’s youth wing and scrap the student command in favour of a broader youth command.
Other key issues up for discussion include land expropriation without compensation, gender equality and the party’s stance on the National Health Insurance, which Malema says fails to address systemic healthcare inequalities.
Despite these preparations, Maraga remains sceptical about the outcome of the conference, arguing that leadership will ultimately be determined by friendship networks rather than democratic processes.
She called on party chairpersons to prioritise enforcing the party’s constitution over protecting the interests of a select few.
“Many leaders will be parachuted into positions, and the constitution will continue to be ignored,” she warned. “The constitution should be what runs the party, not friendships.”
The EFF did not respond to questions from the M&G about Maraga’s assertions.
The conference will be from 12 to15 December at Nasrec in Johannesburg under the theme: Defend, Rebuild and Advance the Struggle for Economic Freedom.