More than 200 EFF public representatives have been directed to resign from their positions effective immediately. These include those in leadership positions, including some MPs, after they failed to procure buses for the party's 10th birthday celebrations last month.

FAILING TO SECURE BUSES FOR ANNIVERSARY 

In a press briefing on Sunday, EFF leader Julius Malema said the party's Central Command Team (CCT) resolved to recall the 210 public representatives. "The CCT takes serious exception on public representatives who, having more than five months to organise transport for their constituencies, failed to do so. In the EFF, all our leaders inclusive of public representatives, are expected to be all-rounders with maximal and unquestioned capacity to organise, mobilise, educate, agitate and also fundraise for all activities of the organisation. Without these qualities, leaders under the EFF cannot be trusted with the lives of our people and the responsibility to be at the forefront against the ruthless white monopoly establishment," Malema said. He said that they thought this was the best political intervention and that they would remain with their membership if they so wished. Malema added that their removal is in line with the party's constitution which says the CCT has the power to remove and replace incompetent members.  

THE FUTURE IN EFF IS NOT A POSITION

Malema went on to say that if the public representatives who are recalled from deployment and removed from elected structures are loyal to the cause for economic freedom, they will remain as members of the organisation but will not be eligible for deployment. Asked by journalists what the future of the representatives was after they were recalled, Malema says the future of the party is not a position. "They will remain members of the EFF and continue to contribute. We are not going to allow opportunism in the EFF. We took a political decision to recall them. Making them remain in the party is part of rehabilitation, to prepare them and we will consider them moving forward," he said. Malema says that the party aims for outright victory in next year's election. The party will launch its manifesto in February next year. "We must all dedicate all weekends, starting on Friday, strictly to engagements with our people and no internal meetings should sit when we have an obligation to interact with our communities," he said.