EFF MP hopefuls who failed to pull their weight in election drive face axe

EFF members who are on the party’s candidate lists for parliament and provincial legislatures but who failed to pull their weight during its election campaign will not become MPs.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, EFF leader Julius Malema was unhappy with some party members who were picked to represent the party as MPs and MPLs, saying they failed to work during the campaign season to ensure the party garnered more votes in Wednesday’s elections.

“The EFF’s final list of MPs and provincial legislators will be amended to reflect the work done during elections. Those who did not play any role in the election work of the EFF will not go to parliament or provincial legislature, even if their names appear higher on the list submitted before the elections,” he said.

The changes to the parliament and provincial legislature candidate lists will be made this week.

“We advise all EFF members and leaders to comply with the decision of upper structures,” Malema said.

He said some aspirant MPs who had “failed” to do assigned election work were too busy having fun at the “groove”.

“There was a guideline that was issued during elections when we were constituting election teams and converting our structures into election teams that everyone must go perform where they are assigned. Some decided not to do their work.

“We are going to tell them to decline their seat in parliament. You cannot sit at home and then go and dance at the Rands [entertainment place] in Cape Town when people are fighting to put up a rally. You have no role to play.

“You think you will sit at home and go straight to parliament? It will never happen….” 

The EFF is expected to lose some seats in parliament after Wednesday’s election. With 99.9% of the votes counted and audited on Sunday morning, the EFF had garnered 9.51% of the vote, a decrease from 2019’s 10.80%.

In March, the EFF dominated headlines after MP Naledi Chirwa moved from being No 30 in 2019 to being last [200] on the party’s parliament list. 

Her fall from grace came weeks after she issued a public apology for not attending the budget speech and impeachment vote of Western Cape judge president John Hlophe in parliament. 

Her apology caused a stir as she said she did not abscond without a “substantial” reason, stating she had to take care of her newborn baby who was ill.

“I do not doubt my commitment to the movement of the people and the responsibility we have been entrusted with in parliament. This is the primary reason I went on maternity leave a day before I gave birth and returned two months before the lapse of my maternity leave,” she said at the time.

She was instructed to buy two EFF-branded gazebos costing R10,000 as a fine for her absence. 

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