MALALANE – Six councillors from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have officially tendered their resignations from both the Nkomazi Local Municipality council and the party, citing deepening internal divisions and what they described as “foreign tendencies” within the organisation. A media briefing held yesterday saw former EFF Regional Secretary, Bandi Shongwe lead the group as he unpacked the sequence of events that ultimately led to their decision to part ways with the red berets.
READ | EFF wins Ward 11 in Nkomazi Municipality
Shongwe said he had sacrificed immensely for the party, including resigning from his permanent position as a police officer, selling his vehicles to finance party programmes, and losing his marriage in 2019 because of the extensive time he dedicated to political work. “I sacrificed everything for this organisation because I believed in its vision and mission. I resigned from my job, sold my cars to support party programmes, and eventually lost my family because the party consumed most of my time,” said Shongwe. When Mpumalanga Mirror asked whether the resignations were linked to what appeared to be a targeted witch-hunt against their collective, Shongwe did not mince his words.
“I confirm, my brother, that this is a witch-hunt because we refused to be used. As a result, I became an enemy to the favourites within the party. “I defended those who founded the EFF in Nkomazi when it was not fashionable to do so. That is why they no longer want me because I fought for comrades who deserved to be rewarded,” he said. He further alleged that the so-called “foreign tendencies” began surfacing after the arrival of certain individuals within the party structures, which, according to him, changed the political atmosphere within the organisation.
“I was raised not to name and shame individuals, but to address problems. My political upbringing taught me to confront issues and not personalities. That is why myself and the collective have decided to resign peacefully. “We are not contesting anyone ahead of the upcoming local government elections. We are simply going home to regroup, recollect, and find ourselves again,” he added. An emotional Shongwe also reflected on the personal toll politics had taken on his life.
READ MORE | ANC Mpumalanga suspends Ngrayi Ngwenya with immediate effect
“The painful part is that I lost my family in the process when my wife and I divorced. Despite all the sacrifices I made, I find myself no longer belonging. However, we have to move forward and look ahead,” he said. Former councillor, Rachel Nkomo, echoed similar sentiments, citing what she described as insensitivity from party leadership during difficult moments in her personal life.
Nkomo revealed that she recently missed a sub-regional meeting attended by a national EFF official because her child was ill and required urgent medical attention.
“I had to rush my child to hospital because I told myself I could not lose another child by prioritising politics over family. Despite informing leadership about my situation, insensitive remarks were allegedly made about my absence,” she said.
She also recounted the trauma she endured during the 2016 Local Government Elections when her son was attacked and killed while she was attending to party election duties at a hotel in White River.”
“I informed the leadership about what was happening, but I felt completely alone and unsupported. It then dawned on me that despite my loyalty and dedication to the organisation, I stood alone. I continued serving the party despite the painful experiences, but I have now realised that it is time for me to step away and resign,” said Nkomo. Shongwe further claimed that the EFF in the region had become deeply divided, alleging that some of the divisions were being fuelled by individuals who were not even card-carrying members of the party.
“Eventually, the public will see exactly what I am talking about because the truth will ultimately come out,” he concluded.
EFF’s provincial chairperson, Collen Sedibe, dismissed the claims that the former councillors had been mistreated within the party, saying their grievances stemmed from internal conference outcomes they failed to accept. “They contested the conference and lost. They never healed from that defeat and never accepted Fighter Ngrayi from the moment he joined the EFF. They became gatekeepers, and that is why the EFF never grew under their leadership,” said Sedibe.
He further alleged that disciplinary action against some of the members was already being considered due to poor performance at branch level. “In fact, we were preparing to issue suspension letters because they were no longer doing work in their branches. Since losing the conference, they have not been active. We have long known that they intended to leave and that they had been holding meetings with the ANC,” he said. Sedibe added that some members were merely “following blindly without direction”.
“They do not know what they are doing or where they are going. There is nothing wrong with working outside your branch because, as a leader, you must work with everyone. That is the principle of the organisation,” he added. He further stated that all EFF public representatives are assigned two additional branches as part of the party’s organisational programme and leadership responsibilities.
