Mbuyiseni’s spicy birthday message to Mmusi

EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to wish Mmusi Maimane a happy birthday and take a not-so-subtle dig at the DA leader’s politics.

In the tweet, Ndlozi wishes Maimane “black consciousness [in] the face of white supremacy”.

Maimane has in the past been accused of being a puppet by prominent EFF members, including Dali Mpofu. Many of his recent comments have seen him try to erase this perception.

At a speech at the DA congress in April, Maimane lashed out at those who have labelled him “a puppet of white people”.

Later in the month, on Freedom Day, Maimane made a speech in which he said South Africa must confront “white privilege and black poverty”.

In an interview with Sunday Times published on Sunday, Maimane hit back at those who have claimed he is only a figurehead – his party is actually run by powerful white party veterans.

Maimane in particular addressed the notion that the party was actually controlled by federal executive chairperson James Selfe: “To purport that James is someone with more power than me is a figment of the imagination,” adding that Selfe’s role in managing election lists and disciplinary processes may give outsiders the sense that he has more power than he actually does.

READ MORE: Maimane ‘white privilege’ comments a shift the party needs – analyst

Maimane has not yet responded to Ndlozi’s tweet.