Malema on Ndlozi: ‘I would put a red carpet for him if he comes back’

EFF leader Julius Malema has publicly signalled that former party heavyweight Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi would be welcomed back into the party months after Ndlozi’s dramatic exit amid internal turmoil.

In an interview with the SABC on Thursday, Malema struck a conciliatory tone toward Ndlozi, describing him as a disciplined cadre whose conduct distinguished him from others who have left the party.

“If Mbuyiseni Ndlozi were to come to the EFF tomorrow, I would put a red carpet for him,” Malema said. “He’s one of the few who conducted himself in a very different manner.”

Ndlozi resigned from the EFF in February 2025 following months of factional tension, suspensions and accusations of disloyalty.

He later revealed that he had been barred from party activities six weeks before the EFF’s December 2024 national elective conference, accused of being part of an alleged “infiltration strategy” linked to the MK Party.

At the centre of the fallout was Ndlozi’s failure to alert Malema about former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu’s intention to defect to the MK Party.

Ndlozi rejected the charge, insisting it was not his role to “gossip” or act as an internal informant.

Malema on Thursday acknowledged the toxic nature of recent departures from the EFF, saying many former leaders had turned hostile after leaving.

In a controversial remark, he claimed some had behaved like “potential patients of a mental hospital,” underscoring the bitterness that has accompanied the party’s recent splits.

However, Malema drew a sharp distinction between Ndlozi and Shivambu. Asked whether Shivambu could also return, Malema’s response was unequivocal: “No, no.”

He cited the EFF constitution, which bars members who formally join another political party from re-entering the movement.

“The EFF is not a hotel where you check in and check out,” Malema said. “Mbuyiseni never took a T-shirt of another political party.”

Ndlozi, for his part, has kept his options open. He has said he is taking time away from frontline politics to reflect and decide on his future “without being emotional.”

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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