The gnashing of teeth in certain quarters over the bloodletting in the EFF is a bit misguided. Somebody said on television the other day that Floyd Shivambu’s departure to join the MK Party was a sad day for the country. It’s no such thing. People should spare their dentures. We should instead sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Have a tipple or two to celebrate, if that tickles your fancy. The implosion of the EFF is good for the country.
Shivambu’s decision to collapse himself into the grateful embrace of Zuma, his longtime nemesis, simply reinforces the cynical view that politics is merely a game devoid of morals or principles played by shameless and unscrupulous individuals. There is indeed no honour among thieves.
But the EFF is a malignant and destructive force in the country’s body politic. And that has nothing to do with whether one agrees or disagrees with their policies. After all, tolerance of different political perspectives is the hallmark — indeed the essence — of any democracy, a big tent where everybody has the right to sell or solicit ideas and hopefully win a majority to form a government. It is a right, attained at great cost, that should not be taken for granted, nor abused. Those seeking a mandate to rule over us should always act in a manner that not only honours those sacrifices but ensures that the fruits of those sacrifices — democracy — are preserved for generations. Democracy only lasts if we fight for it. And all political parties, despite their differences, should work within its guardrails.
To achieve their aims, the EFF have decided to act outside the accepted norms of political engagement. They are not your political party in the conventional sense. Their tactics are anti-democratic. They’ve normalised political thuggery and intimidation to get their own way. They’re essentially a paramilitary force using the very accoutrements of democracy — freedom of expression, association, assembly, equality before the law — to undermine the system. They disrupt the work of parliament and legislatures. They’re lawmakers and yet encourage people to break the law — the homeless are told to occupy empty land, and foreigners to cross the border into the country without documentation.
It’s perhaps the extent to which our politics have been corrupted that military appellations such as ground forces, high command and commander-in-chief, which should be sitting uneasily on any political entity seeking power by peaceful means, have become normalised and accepted. But even if such titles were to be dismissed as mere political theatre, what cannot be brushed aside is the boorishness, loutish behaviour and utter disrespect for parliament, even an attempt to physically attack the president on the podium. It simply boggles the mind why and how so-called lawmakers can get away with such insolence. These are not the actions of people conscious of the fact that they’ve been elected to cater for the needs of the public — and are handsomely paid for it.
Julius Malema — and his cronies — go to social events such as the Durban July and to his beloved Inanda Club dressed to the nines, and yet he decides to put on his overalls when he goes to parliament — an indication he doesn’t think much of the institution, which is a repository of the people’s aspirations. Why parliament is unable to enforce an appropriate dress code remains a mystery.
What often comes to mind when one thinks of the EFF is not policy or political decisions but their boorish behaviour, intimidation and manufactured rage. They think to be radical is to be nasty or obnoxious. Calling people names or making fun of their physical appearance is taken as being politically shrewd and courageous.
What often comes to mind when one thinks of the EFF is not policy or political decisions but their boorish behaviour, intimidation and manufactured rage
They call themselves revolutionaries, yet they don’t have a settled set of beliefs or principles. Their ideologies change from day to day, depending on prevailing circumstances. Thabo Mbeki was once a dictator who deserved to be recalled before he became one of the titans on the African continent. They were going to kill for Zuma before they hounded him out of office. But perhaps such inconsistency can be ignored as political gamesmanship.
Their flip-flopping on alliances has however had calamitous consequences, especially in the big metros like Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. After the 2021 local government elections the EFF decided co-operate with all parties, including the DA, to keep the ANC out of power. That seemed to work for a while, but then the EFF had a change of heart; they joined the ANC in the looting, with disastrous consequences. And now they’re accusing the ANC of selling out by inviting the DA into the government of national unity. Such hypocrites.
The EFF seem to be on a slippery slope. Malema had high hopes going into the elections, even dreaming of being the country’s deputy president. But they got a bloody nose from voters, and they don’t seem to have learnt any lessons from their poor showing. Shivambu’s decision to fly the coop is yet another bitter blow, a potential nail in the coffin.
However, joining the MKP could be a case of going from the frying pan into the fire for Shivambu. MKP could be a pack of cards; it’s certainly a snake pit. For a party that’s not even a year old, it seems incapable of resolving its own internal squabbles and is spending an inordinate amount of time in court. Zuma may be the party’s wellspring, but he may turn out to be the seed that destroys it. He fires people at the drop of a hat, and seems determined to create a party of sycophants. Shivambu, who was Zuma’s chief tormentor in parliament, may suffer the same fate. Zuma must have a treasure trove of barbs and insults that Shivambu threw at him stashed away somewhere, and could use them at an appropriate time.
The EFF and MKP deserve each other. They’re birds of the same feather. And the country would be better off without both of them.
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