Former cabinet spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi has officially been sworn in as the new Member of Parliament for the Red Berets. Manyi was sworn in on Wednesday, hardly a month after he joined the EFF.

MAKING CHANGES 

Manyi left the African Transformation Movement (ATM) for the EFF in May citing that, "After careful thought and consideration, I have come to the conclusion I can serve South Africa better when in an organisation like the EFF." He joined ATM in 2019, on the eve of the elections. In May, EFF leader Julius Malema hinted that he would be letting go of his party’s ’lazy’ caucuses, legislatures and councils in Parliament and replace them with members who know and understand the mandate of the party. 

A NEW TEAM

Alongside Manyi, Kwaito legend Eugene Mthethwa and two other members Nqobile Mhlongo and Mandla Shikwambana were sworn in as new EFF MPs. Mhlongo and Shikwambana serve in the National leadership of the EFF as well as the central command team. Mhlongo who holds a Bachelor of Education joined the party in 2013 when she was still a student at the University of Pretoria. She was elected as a Regional Secretary for the EFF in 2018 and 2021 and in between these years she also served as the party’s PR councillor. 

Shikwambana is a former president of the EFF student council and has seen various roles within the party including being an SRC president. Mthethwa who joined the party last February is a seasonal cultural activist and an expert in the South African music industry.

GREENER PASTURES 

Many thanked Malema. "The EFF must relieve the ANC and govern this country. The EFF is the only formidable organisation with the necessary capacity to be the alternative to the tired, fatigued, and corrupt ANC," he tweeted. Mthethwa said he was with the ANC for 16 years but remained a non-starter. "Only in EFF I got to become a Member of Parliament within less than a year when in over the ANC for 16 years. I remained a non-starter," he said.