Claims of EFF councillor’s defection to MK Party causes controversy at his funeral
Durban — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal, Nkululeko Ngubane, vehemently refuted claims that EFF Proportional Representative councillor in the eThekwini Municipality David Matseke had defected to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) before his death last week.
These claims surfaced following the tragic death of Matseke – a long-serving EFF member – in a car crash last week. He was buried on Saturday.
At Matseke's funeral, Ngubane did not mince words, denouncing EFF members who had allegedly informed the national leadership about claims of Matseke abandoning the party in favour of the MKP, led by former president Jacob Zuma.
“We will not be infiltrated by people who went to Parliament and told the leadership that David was a branch chairperson of the MK, causing confusion in the EFF using a person who had died,” said Ngubane.
It is worth noting that the MKP does not have elected office bearers, including branch leaders, as the party has yet to hold an elective conference.
Ngubane voiced his dismay over what he described as an act of betrayal and “selling out” from within the party's ranks.
He said the national leadership, led by Julius Malema – absent from the funeral – had asked him whether Matseke was still a member of the EFF amid swirling rumours.
“I told them that David was a loyal member of the EFF,” he responded.
Amid the exodus of EFF leaders and the rank-and-file to the rival MKP, Ngubane said there are people in the EFF who have “sold out” the red berets’.
Adding to the internal turmoil, reports emerged on Sunday suggesting that Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, a long-standing and influential EFF leader, has been barred from attending the party's upcoming People’s Assembly (elective conference) slated for December.
This move adds another layer of tension within the party as it grapples with internal divisions.
Among the high-profile EFF leaders who have switched allegiances in favour of the MKP are former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, former national chairperson Dali Mpofu and former EFF Member of Parliament Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who also is the former public protector. Shivambu is currently serving as the secretary-general of the MKP, a powerful position that comes with overseeing the administration of party affairs.
Despite the challenges faced by the EFF, Ngubane maintained that “economic freedom” is Malema’s brainchild, noting that he was expelled from the ANC in 2011 for advocating similar principles.
Meanwhile, another EFF member, Nqobile Chiliza, was laid to rest on Saturday in Hammarsdale. EFF provincial chairperson Mongezi Thwala spoke at her funeral.
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