Red-letter day: Leader of the EFF Julius Malema. Photo: Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images
The Economic Freedom Fighters is set to endorse leader Julius Malema’s slate at the party’s highly anticipated elective conference following an intense contestation season after the departure of its deputy president, Floyd Shivambu.
The party, which started its third elective conference on Thursday, will elect Malema as the party leader for a third term. Former secretary general Godrich Gardee will probably be elected deputy leader.
New entrant Nontando Nolutshungu will be elected chairperson, Omphile Maotwe as treasurer general, Marshall Dlamini as secretary general and Leigh-Ann Mathys as deputy secretary general.
This slate has finally received the backing of influential provincial leaders after months of lobbying from branches who have been calling for Mbuyiseni Ndlozi to stand for the position of deputy.
But, after deliberations with branch delegates, Gardee is expected to emerge successful, given Ndlozi’s decision to reject a call that he contest the position.
The conference, attended by 2 500 delegates from across the country, comes at a time when the party seeks to regroup after a poor electoral showing and departures which have shaken the party’s internal structures, causing speculation that many were not loyal to the EFF but to individuals who had defected to Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
The delegates include 1 750 women and 750 men, reflecting the EFF’s efforts to maintain gender representation in its structures, party secretary general Marshall Dlamini said.
The conference will also address the leadership void created by the departure of key figures during the party’s lowest moment following its decline in national election support from 10.79% in 2019 to 9.52% this year. The electoral setback saw the EFF being relegated to fourth place by the MK party.
Although many branches have accepted Gardee as deputy leader, some branches in Gauteng have threatened to nominate Ndlozi during the assembly, despite his “blatant refusal to stand”.
At a media briefing ahead of the conference, Malema dismissed reports of Ndlozi being excluded from the conference as “toilet discussions”.
But insiders suggest that, if Gauteng delegates successfully nominate Ndlozi, it could create significant problems for Malema’s preferred slate.
The EFF has framed its national people’s assembly as an opportunity to evaluate its performance and plan for the future.
National chairperson Veronica Mente said although the party had faced difficulties, it was ready to host the conference under the theme of renewal.
Support: Godrich Gardee could be the next deputy leader of the EFF. Photo: Philip Maeta/Gallo Images
The people’s assembly has drawn delegates from every province, with many enduring lengthy bus journeys to Johannesburg. Despite the logistical difficulties, excitement among party members remains high.
Delegates have arrived with tentative ideas of who should lead the party alongside Malema.
This year’s conference is being closely watched as a test of the EFF’s ability to navigate internal problems and reassert its political relevance.
The party will discuss factionalism and its electoral decline.
It has warned members not to be complacent, although some areas had showed marginal growth.
“In fact, the 2024 [electoral] outcomes signal a stagnating or declining organisation,” a discussion document titled Organisational Character and Redesign says.
Delegates are also expected to deliberate on the party’s policy priorities and strategies for expanding its support base, along with its stance on coalitions.
The recent internal policy documents describing the EFF as a “stagnant or declining organisation”, underscoring the urgency of revitalisation.
The delegates are also expected to discuss the EFF’s “lack of organisational maturity”.
According to the document, the party has not yet achieved the level of maturity required to support additional structures, such as trade unions, women’s wings and youth wings, as mandated by its constitution.
It argued that, for the party to attain its goals, it should only elect members with a post-matric qualification to serve on the central command team (CCT) — its highest decision-making body.
“The CCT should be composed of members who deeply understand the founding manifesto of the EFF, the constitution and all other policies of the organisation,” it said.
It added that the body should be defined by a certain degree of meritocracy wherein only those who have demonstrated loyalty to the organisation should be elected into the CCT.
On Wednesday, sources told the Mail & Guardian that CCT members who remained silent about the defections from the party risk being eliminated from the body for failing to “adequately choose a side”.
These include Shivambu loyalists.
The outcomes of the leadership elections will be pivotal in determining the EFF’s trajectory as it heads into the 2026 local government elections.