Juju accused of bias in EFF Mpumalanga spat
Provincial secretary feels heat from boss
EFF leader Julius Malema is being accused of taking sides in a factional fight in his party.
Last Sunday‚ Malema held a meeting with structures from Mpumalanga in an effort to deal with an impasse between the provincial secretary‚ Alfred Skhosana‚ and chairman Collen Sedibe.
The meeting led to a unilateral decision by Malema to suspend Skhosana after the party president allegedly claimed that Skhosana “did not have a future in the EFF”.
The party is plagued by divisive factional fights in its provincial structures as the deadline looms for provinces to hold their elective conferences before June.
An insider said the meeting at the EFF headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, was attended by the national and provincial leadership and branch members of EFF across Mpumalanga.
“It was divided between those who supported Collen and those who supported Alfred‚” the insider said.
He said when Malema spoke he indicated that there was no way Skhosana would “defeat the other faction” in their May conference and further indicated that he was “not capable of leading the EFF”.
“In fact‚ he said the secretary of Mpumalanga has no future in the EFF.”
Malema then told party secretary-general Godrich Gardee to effect Skhosana’s suspension “for bringing the party into disrepute”.
The EFF leader from Mpumalanga said this was another example of Malema ruling with an iron fist .
This week‚ Gardee wrote to Skhosana informing him of his suspension. He is also likely to be booted out of the Mpumalanga legislature.
Gardee‚ who is also from Mpumalanga‚ told TimesLIVE that he did not want to comment on the matter. He denied, however, that Malema took a unilateral decision.
Skhosana confirmed that he was suspended this week.
“Yes‚ I got a letter from the secretary-general. I am suspended‚” he said.
He said he was willing to face the party’s disciplinary committee and added that his suspension was linked to the EFF’s factional squabbles.
Malema was not available for comment. –