Economic Freedom Fighters chairperson Veronica Mente. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The race to replace Floyd Shivambu as the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) second-in-command has intensified, with strong lobbying emerging for Veronica Mente as the party’s first female deputy president.
This move aligns with calls from various EFF branches for a female leader to fill the role if provincial chairpersons fail in their bid to have the position scrapped in an effort to stem the flow of defectors from the party.
Shivambu’s recent defection to Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party has left the EFF’s top leadership in flux and sparked a heated debate over succession ahead of the party’s upcoming national people’s assembly in December.
Sources said the deputy presidency race has garnered the most attention, as speculation mounts over Malema’s preference for his right-hand person. The EFF will have to sift through who to trust following Shivambu’s defection — and his revelation that some senior officials knew of his plan to leave but kept quiet about it.
In an interview with podcaster Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh last week, Shivambu said central command team (CCT) members knew of his impending exit and kept it to themselves.
Malema’s close allies, once seen as frontrunners for the position, now face increased scrutiny from him, insiders told the Mail & Guardian. The national people’s assembly, scheduled for 12 to 15 December, will not only decide Shivambu’s successor, but will review all of the top six leadership positions.
Among the other contenders for deputy president are former secretary general Godrich Gardee, former spokespersons Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Vuyani Pambo, and current secretary general Marshall Dlamini. Branches have said the party would benefit from Mente’s leadership.
“That [Mpofu-Walsh] interview has made things complicated for us. Now what is possible is that we need new blood which has made commissar Mente the most capable candidate for this job. She can be trusted and we have vetted her. The likes of comrade Mbuyiseni Ndlozi are a challenge because we are not sure about him even now,” one branch leader said.
“What we propose is female or nothing.”
Party insiders suggest that the dominant faction in the EFF has largely coalesced behind Mente or Ndlozi.
One source added that the campaign for Dlamini to step up as deputy president has waned, with many of his former backers now considering Mente, Gardee or Pambo to be better suited for the job, given their perceived alignment with the party’s values and vision.
Mente’s supporters argue that a female leader would bring a new perspective to the party while her experience and dedication make her the right person to stabilise the party in the wake of Shivambu’s controversial exit.
Another source said Mente had “received the nod” from Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and parts of Gauteng.
Mente is a former bodyguard of the Cape Town mayor and later became a lawyer in Khayelitsha, volunteering for the Labour Community Advice Media and Education Centre to help workers claim their rights. She became an EFF MP in 2014.
Gardee’s supporters argue that his age and experience make him a “respectable” choice who could bring stability and maturity to the party’s leadership.
“The position needs someone mature who will complement Malema and be his support structure,” said a Gardee supporter, pointing to the former secretary general’s longstanding involvement with the EFF as a key advantage.
But the younger members of the party are pushing for 35-year-old Pambo, a former EFF spokesperson who currently leads the party’s presidency. His backers see him as representative of the younger generation’s ideals, with many viewing him as an asset that could help the party reach a wider base.
Pambo’s supporters are especially vocal in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, where he has formed close alliances with key regional leaders.
Some members, however, argue that Pambo’s ascent to the deputy presidency may be premature, suggesting that he should first serve as deputy secretary-general to gain more experience in the party’s national leadership.
“The young ones are insistent that Pambo must go in, but we do not think it is the right time,” commented one leader. “The EFF does not need an uncontrolled generational mix; there is cognisance here of who is the best.”
A high-ranking EFF leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The issue of deputy president is a raging debate; others are saying it must be closed. Others are saying let us put a young person, while others are saying it needs senior, tried-and-tested fighters.”
The party has also released several policy discussion documents ahead of the conference, signalling that the gathering will shape the EFF’s policy direction.
But the leadership contest has overshadowed most other topics, as factions in the EFF position themselves to influence the direction of the party.
Mente did not respond to questions from the M&G, but previously told the publication that she was available for any position she was nominated for.
“Everyone is allowed to nominate a delegate who has been tried and tested at branch level. One thing about the EFF is that superiority logic rules. People must not just start raising their hands and offering to be president, deputies; they must be seen as a person who did not fail on the mandate given to them,” she said at the time.