EFF charges leader who questioned instruction
● Julius Malema’s EFF has suspended and charged a female leader who questioned the party’s instruction for her to turn down a seat in parliament.
Lungile Gabuza, a member of the party’s KwaZulu-Natal command team, refused to sign a letter sent to her by secretary-general Godrich Gardee declaring her unavailability to go to parliament.
Gabuza is said to have asked Gardee to provide her with reasons why she should “lie” to National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise, as the letter drafted by Gardee on her behalf stated that she was not available.
Instead, the EFF suspended her and barred her from participating in organisational activities and communicating with staff or members of the EFF on matters related to charges against her.
Gabuza is number 56 on the party’s national list of those bound for the National Assembly. A seat became available after the resignation of one MP who admitted accepting money from President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to party insiders, Gabuza was not the only EFF member instructed not to take up a seat.
One of the others is Phillip Mhlongo, who was number 49 and who served as an MP in the fifth parliament. Mhlongo confirmed to the Sun- day Times that he was instructed by the EFF’s national leadership not to avail himself, and he complied. “I saw no reason for not complying,” he said.
A source close to one of the candidates said at least seven of them had signed the unavailability letter because they feared being expelled from the party. Gabuza was the first to refuse to sign.
“We are in the process of renewing branches ahead of the national congress in December. Already, if you do not agree with a particular view, you are treated differently and that is what is happening here,” said the source, who requested anonymity.
In a letter by Gardee addressed to Gabuza, he berated her for contacting Malema directly and said what she had done “is unprecedented and undermines the prestige and seniority of the office he [Malema] holds. This you have done notwithstanding that the email sent by the secretary-general to you is very explicit in that it is conveying a Central Command Team resolution, which you seek to undermine by undermining the office of the secretary. Your conduct displays careerism and opportunism and borders on illdiscipline and insubordination.”
The party has suspended Gabuza and she now faces 11 charges at a disciplinary hearing. These include violating the EFF constitution by “failing to uphold the oath you swore to and to act without any motive of personal gain or material benefit, and further to act with awareness that you are not entitled to any positions or deployments”.
Gabuza declined to comment and referred questions to Gardee, who directed the Sunday Times to national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, who did not respond to the text message.