EFF MP in hometown of Komani to grow party in Chris Hani
ECONOMIC Freedom Fighters (EFF) member of parliament (MP) Zolile Xalisa is currently in town to ensure the duties of the party and its mandate are upheld and to assist in the party’s growth in the Chris Hani region.
Xalisa was deployed to Alfred Nzo District Municipality in 2015 to convene structures of the EFF and he also established structures in the Amathole and Chris Hani regions in the same year.
“My work in Alfred Nzo is 90% done hence I am in Komani and also because this is where my family is and where I was born. This area holds a special place in my heart because it is where my interest in politics began, but due to various issues at the time, I had to leave the province to work in the North West where I was introduced to the EFF.”
The MP joined the EFF in the same year it was established as he is a believer in party leader Julius Malema’s politics and articulations.
“I have always looked up to Malema, even during his tenure as the ANC Youth League president, so when he was ousted in 2012, I followed him until the EFF was established. I became active in the area I lived in. At some point, I even ran for mayor but was told to withdraw as there were other important party duties.”
At the 2014 EFF conference, Xalisa was voted to become a national party representative.
“I was sworn in in 2016 and have been serving in various structures of the EFF, especially those in the Eastern Cape. I am not surprised by my elevation in the party as politics run in the family, and my commitment to the cause of representing the people on the ground runs deep.”
Xalisa is related to apartheid stalwart Chris Hani. His father had to change his surname to Xalisa during the apartheid era as the Hani family were known to be rebellious and controversial.
“My father moved to Mlungisi in Komani before I was born to look for a job. It was difficult for him at the time because Chris Hani was active in politics. Then he had to change his surname to Xalisa. I was born with that surname and still embrace it to this day.”
Xalisa is also a member of the EFF Eastern Cape disciplinary committee which oversees discipline in the party.