Eyebrows were raised when Ndlozi did not attend the EFF’S conference in December after he was allegedly barred with no reasons provided. Picture: Neil McCartney
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said he would not be shocked if the party persuades former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi to join the organisation.
Speculation over Ndlozi’s future in the EFF gained momentum after the party’s former deputy president Floyd Shivambu left for Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto WeSizwe party (MK).
Last week Ndlozi resigned as an EFF legislator further raising speculation that he was going to quit the red berets.
At a media briefing on Monday, Mbalula said it was only Ndlozi who could speak on the potential move, but he would not be surprised if the ANC was talking to Ndlozi.
“He is a good member of society and in the realm of politics, he is a good politician. So why not talk to him? At the end of the day, it is he who can decide his future.
“So when his party ejected him, just kick somebody like Mbuyiseni out. It means, hey, Julius is powerful and is overconfident in himself,” Mbalula said.
“Mbuyiseni is not just a small boy in politics…If you are powerful, you are powerful and you would think that someone like Ndlozi can just be kicked out. So there is nothing wrong with ANC members and everyone can talk to Mbuyiseni. In the end, it’s his choice.
“I don’t know whether he has left the EFF. But if he leaves his party, why not talk to him and to join the ANC and contribute to the South African body politics of the country,” Mbalula said.
ALSO READ: EFF bans Mbuyiseni Ndlozi from national elective conference
Mbalula claims that Mbuyiseni is not “the kind of guy who left” the EFF.
“It looks like he was kicked out. He was shown that he was of no value to his party. So at the end of the day, if he decides to be a politician and wants to remain in politics and pursue the agenda of transformation and liberation of our people, we in the ANC are open to him coming. It’s a platform for all South Africans to come and participate.”
Eyebrows were raised when Ndlozi did not attend the EFF’s conference in December after he was allegedly barred with no reasons provided.
The move to bar Ndlozi appeared to be part of a wider strategy to curtail his participation in the red berets’ activities.
Speculation began swirling that Ndlozi may have been suspended from the party as he had not attended key EFF meetings in the past and that EFF leadership had not been honest regarding Ndlozi’s continued silence.
Earlier this month, the EFF said it received the voluntary resignations of Ndlozi and Yazini Tetyana from Parliament.
Ndlozi was the EFF’s former national spokesperson served in the National Assembly since 2014, while Tetyana served in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature and later in Parliament
EFF leader Julius Malema’s embattled party has been hit with a leadership exodus, with big names, including Floyd Shivambu, Mzwanele Manyi, Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Dali Mpofu, crossing over to former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party (MK).
ALSO READ: EFF MPs Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Yazini Tetyana resign from Parliament
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