Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Parliament (MP) Carl Niehaus says he is not leaving the party.
The red berets are bleeding politicians with several members, including Mzwanele Manyi and former deputy president Floyd Shivambu among others, leaving the EFF to join the MK party.
Last week, former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane also resigned from the EFF stating that she wanted to focus on spending time with her family.
Watch Carl Niehaus saying he will not be leaving the EFF
Me addressing fellow @EFFSouthAfrica campaigners during the Voter Registration weekend in Thabazimbi: “Fighters I don’t even want to hear the question are you leaving? Because I am going nowhere! I know that we wil succeed in the #EconomicFreedomFighters“. pic.twitter.com/I1CmTBybxE
— Carl Niehaus (@niehaus_carl) October 20, 2024
This was followed by renowned actor turned politician, Fana Mokoena, who called it quits as EFF MP.
Mokoena also resigned as a member of the highest decision-making body between conferences of the EFF, the Central Command Team (CCT).
Niehaus not resigning
Rumours of Niehaus leaving the EFF first circulated when Shivambu resigned, but he dismissed the claims which seem to have reignited.
“Fighters, I don’t even want to hear the question ‘are you leaving?’ because it’s a stupid, useless question, I am going nowhere.”
Niehaus said the EFF will succeed.
“I know that we will succeed in the Economic Freedom Fighters. I know that our ideology is sound. There are no better leaders in any political party in South Africa than in the EFF.”
ALSO READ: Busisiwe Mkhwebane could’ve used EFF as ‘halfway station’ – analyst
Malema warning
When Shivambu resigned from the EFF, party leader Julius Malema warned there would be more departures from all spheres of the party.
Malema said he will remain a “loyal and disciplined” member of the EFF.
“I will be buried and my coffin will be draped with the flag of the EFF. Even if I remain alone, I will do so because I am loyal to this cause.
“To resign from it, I will be betraying those people who said ‘we are prepared to take this risk because we believe in the vision of the EFF and its generational mission.’”
“I want to reassure the ground forces of the EFF, loyal, hard-working, disciplined ground forces of the EFF, I am with you and I will never turn my back against this organisation.
“I will never turn my back against this building named after one of the best leaders our struggle has produced, Winne Madikizela Mandela House,” Malema said.
EFF ‘halfway station’
Last week, an independent political analyst told The Citizen there were politicians who had joined the EFF, but did not seem to be a good fit.
“When the occasion came, it became clear that their political DNA is not EFF DNA, they are Zuma supporters. I think the one who clarified that better than anyone else was actually Mzwanele Manyi,” Swana said.
“So there’s a sense in which the EFF became a halfway station for certain people who were disgruntled within the ANC. And then when the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party came, their true colours emerged. So some of them, such as Mkhwebane especially, were actually a distraction.”
ALSO READ: Floyd Shivambu joins Zuma’s MK party
