Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema stated that Dali Mpofu’s move from the red berets to the MK Party was anticipated.
Mpofu, who was the party’s former national chairperson announced his exit on Thursday, raising concerns about the future of South Africa’s fourth-largest party in the National Assembly amid a growing exodus of leaders.
Malema discussed Mpofu’s defection in a podcast, offering insight into the events he believes led to the former chairperson’s departure.
He pointed to a key meeting convened by former President Jacob Zuma last year, which brought together opposition parties ahead of the May 29 elections, before the MK Party had been officially formed.
During that meeting, Malema revealed that Mpofu proposed the idea of dissolving the EFF along with other smaller parties to create a new political entity under Zuma’s leadership.
Malema further disclosed that Mpofu had even written down this proposal, indicating that he had been considering it for some time.
Although Malema was not present at the initial meeting, he later rejected this suggestion.
A counter-proposal was made to merge the smaller parties with the EFF, but Zuma dismissed it, reportedly saying, “Can you imagine old people voting for the EFF?”
In a private meeting between just Malema and Zuma, the EFF leader requested Zuma’s endorsement for the party in the lead-up to the elections, while also proposing discussions on a post-election strategy.
During this conversation, Zuma revealed his intentions to form a new political party to contest national and provincial elections.
The MK Party made a strong debut in the polls, surpassing the EFF’s previous position as the third-largest party in the National Assembly, with a notable breakthrough in KwaZulu-Natal.
Malema expressed that Mpofu’s departure came as no surprise.
“He has been open about it, he’s been speaking about it.”
Despite the increasing exits, Malema reassured that the EFF was not in crisis, emphasising that the party was not facing any major challenges.
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