Malema ‘using the power-hungry ANC as his punching bag’

The political deal-maker, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), deliberately broke its coalition agreement with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in various rural municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal because it wants to rule the eThekwini metro, which it hoped to get from the ANC.

According to political analyst Xolani Dube, the whole idea of the EFF to sacrifice the careers of at least eight of its deputy mayors – whom it asked to resign from IFP-run municipalities in the province – was to enter into a new coalition with the ANC in eThekwini.

EFF deputy mayors were ordered by the party to resign in IFP stronghold municipalities, including the prized Mhlathuze, Nongoma and Zululand.

The planned eThekwini coalition was an extension of the ANC-EFF deal in the City of Joburg where the ANC, EFF and other minority parties ousted Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and replaced her with Al Jama-ah’s Thapelo Amad.

In terms of that deal, the ANC would run Joburg with Amad as mayor but Ekurhuleni would be given to the EFF once mayor Tania Campbell was also removed via a motion of no confidence in future. But the EFF target was now to take over eThekwini in a similar deal with the ANC.

Dube said EFF leader Julius Malema always wanted to take over eThekwini from the ANC. The break-up of the coalition partnerships with the IFP was part of the strategy to give certain municipalities to the EFF by the ANC, while other minority parties would be included in the future ruling partnerships.

Dube said another dimension to the issue was a revival of old camaraderie between Malema and ANC leaders, such as provincial secretary William Mtolo – close allies during their ANC Youth League days.

“Malema and Mtolo were very close and I think they are reviving that relationship. It is not based on principle,” Dube said.

The analyst said in the process the EFF was fooling the ANC and playing a game with it because it was desperate for power.

“Malema is using the ANC as his punching bag because he knows they become very submissive to him. But the IFP, unlike the ANC, has no time for the EFF because it is not attached to it. Malema was surprised that the IFP did not entertain their antics and let them go,” Dube said.

He said the IFP would never give up its rural municipalities because that’s where its power lay in KwaZulu-Natal.

This week’s fallout between the EFF and IFP saw EFF deputy mayors resigning in eight municipalities run by the IFP.

This after the EFF instructed all its deputy mayors to resign from the KZN municipalities and the party broke all ties with the IFP. The two parties entered into coalition agreements after the November 2021 local government election.

The withdrawal decision was announced by Malema, who said this was in protest because EFF deputy mayors were not given significant roles to play in IFP dominated municipalities.

The IFP leadership blamed the disagreement on Malema’s flip-flopping leadership approach. The IFP decided to let the EFF go and closed all talks with it around the matter.

This week, irate IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said the EFF’s withdrawal from their coalition was not surprising because it was the same Malema who called the late Nelson Mandela a sell-out; who assisted Jacob Zuma to oust Thabo Mbeki but later went to Mbeki to apologise for his actions.

Hlabisa also reminded Malema that he demanded Zuma’s resignation while he favoured his then-deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, to replace him. Late,r he made peace with Zuma and even went to have tea with him at Nkandla and then targeted Ramaphosa – an indication that he may change overnight.