Durban — The EFF central command team led by party leader Julius Malema will descend on the province of KwaZulu-Natal on Friday as the limping party assesses its membership ahead of the People's Assembly (elective conference) in December.
The internal elections take place every five years.
The visit comes on the back of the departure of party heavyweight and founding leader Floyd Shivambu - who abruptly dumped the EFF - a party he had served as deputy president since its formation in 2013 - last week.
After ditching the EFF, Shivambu joined the Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
The EFF’s central command team - the highest decision-making body between conferences - will meet at the Coastlands Hotel in uMhlanga, north of Durban.
The party spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys, said the visit was also part of the renewal and recruitment drive ahead of the elective conference in December.
The no-nonsense Malema is touted to retain his position as party leader - a position he has held with a tight grip since the formation of the party eleven years ago.
Also expected to retain his position is Malema’s newly found loyal backer, Marshall Dlamini, who is said to be eyeing the deputy president.
The EFF - which is the biggest party in terms of members with over a million members - suffered bruising election losses nationally and in KZN in the May elections.
In the national assembly, the party slid from 44 to 39 of the 400 national assembly seats, while in KZN, the party dropped from eight seats to two in the provincial legislature which has 80 seats.
During the party’s first elections in 2014, the Red Berets raked in 25 seats in the national assembly and two in KZN.
The departure of Shivambu is expected to further hamper the EFF in the upcoming local government in 2026.
Putting up a brave face, Malema has repeatedly said that the EFF would emerge from Shivambu’s exit unscathed, daring those who want to dump the party to do so now.
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