Poor Floyd Shivambu.
What did he think would happen, leaving one authoritarian figure for another?
Shivambu thrived for most of his political life alongside EFF Leader Julius Malema. That’s until those brothers-in-arms fell out spectacularly, with Shivambu joining former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party (MKP) in August last year, and Malema rage-spiralling in the wake of his departure.
So far, so normal for South African politics. But it didn’t take a genius to see what would come next. Zuma and his fledgling MKP are infamously tribalistic and loyalty-based. No one cares about your credentials. Rather, your standing with the notoriously calculating and self-interested Zuma is all that matters.
Now Zuma has made his true feelings VERY clear.
In response to the scrutiny over Shivambu’s demotion from Secretary General to an ordinary MP, Zuma took not-so-subtle aim at Shivambu in his Youth Day address yesterday in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Without naming him, Zuma nodded to the political rumour doing the rounds: that Floyd should leave the MKP and start his own party, noting, “If those people want to start their own party they should go ahead.” TimesLive even ran a poll about whether Floyd should start his own party, though, at the time of writing, that was one of the least popular options for those who voted.
I’m with those voters. Too many politicians think they can go it alone, only to fail at the polls. Big, charismatic politicians like Zuma and Malema tend to draw people. The thinkers behind them? Not so much.
Floyd Shivambu removed
What Floyd SHOULD do is be honest about how precarious his political position is – and has always been. When he was summarily ousted as Secretary General of the party two weeks ago – the seventh in the party’s year-and-a-half of existence nogal – people weren’t surprised. It was ostensibly because of Shivambu’s visit to fugitive Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi.
But Floyd’s preceding six months in the party had already been super rocky, and the signs don’t look good.
- At one Ward 6 meeting, he was literally booed off the stage.
- MKP princess, aka Zuma’s daughter Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, went on an epic rant against Floyd back in February, swearing at him and calling him “the worst thing that happened to MK” before being forced to apologise.
- The rumour mill said he clashed with the party’s chief whip in parliament, disgraced former judge John Hlophe, over a shoddily written speech. The list goes on.
- Even his perceived closeness to Zuma caused resentment, with his critics within the party saying he wasn’t close enough to the issues on the ground.
- IOL reported last week that Shivambu was not included on the MKP’s candidate list submitted to the Electoral Commission earlier this month, for his new role as MP. The party said this was a technical omission, and that they were working to fast-track his inclusion when the list-editing window reopens.
Floyd’s achievements at the EFF
But even if he is successfully made an MKP parliamentarian, it’s a serious case of humble pie. Consider the senior roles he held in parliament previously when he was part of the EFF. He served as Chief Whip, effectively acting as COO to Julius Malema’s CEO. They made for a formidable combination.
His solo work, too, earned serious plaudits. As one of the longest-serving members of the Portfolio Committee on Finance in recent times, he earned a reputation as something of a financial watchdog. He brought a sharp, progressive lens to financial oversight, especially when it came to corruption and accountability. One of the causes he championed was fighting illicit financial flows — basically, money that should be taxed here in South Africa that gets secretly shifted out of the country instead. According to a 2022 study, our country’s loses about US 3.5–5 billion per year – over 1% of GDP. Other estimates peg it far higher.
His efforts helped create the Inter-Agency Working Group on Illicit Financial Flows, bringing together major players like SARS, the Reserve Bank, the Hawks (who investigate serious crimes), the FSCA (which oversees financial conduct), and the Special Investigating Unit, which tackles corruption and recovers public money.
Shivambu is also highly qualified. At yesterday’s rally, Zuma took aim at Shivambu’s intellectual chops, saying: “We are not going to be apologetic and bow down to individuals in this party. No matter how good, important and educated you are.”
Floyd, like many leaders in the EFF has a litany of academic achievements to his name, including graduating with a master’s degree, with distinction, in political studies back in 2014. In 2024, he received a second Master’s in International Development from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He began studying for his PhD in 2018, all by the age of 42.
Floyd and the VBS Bank scandal
But then there’s the dark side of Floyd. The violence. Swearing at various journalists. And of course, the 2018 VBS Mutual Bank scandal, where nearly R2 billion was funnelled from struggling municipalities and pensioners to a network of corrupt officials, politicians and their fixers.
A 2018 South African Reserve Bank report found Floyd’s brother Brian nabbed R16 million from VBS through his company, Sgameka Projects. Of that, R180,000 made its way to Floyd.
Floyd and Julius Malema may have also received up to R10 million through front companies, according to a 2023 sworn affidavit by convicted VBS chair Tshifhiwa Matodzi. He also said the EFF allegedly got R1 million a month to look the other way. The party, Floyd and Malema have denied these claims.
By October 2023, Parliament’s Ethics Committee found Floyd guilty of not disclosing the R180,000 and recommended he forfeit nine days’ salary.
What now?
These scandals, together with this latest series of blows at the MKP, mean that Floyd’s political credibility is now seriously dented. Starting another party is not the solution. But… is going back to the EFF a possibility?
On paper, it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. He and Julius Malema were a powerful duo once, balancing firebrand politics with a credible parliamentary presence. Floyd brought the ideological scaffolding, the policy focus, and the homework. Julius brought the heat, the charisma, the crowd. Together, they gave the EFF its best shot at real influence.
Sure, the end of the bromance was dramatic and Malema seems unlikely to forgive, but then again, this is a politician who is famous for his u-turns and flip-flops.
Maybe the better question is: Does Floyd still have the stomach for it? For rebuilding, for re-earning trust, for finding relevance in a political space that’s increasingly allergic to nuance? Or is it time for him to sit this one out, reflect, regroup, and figure out whether he wants to keep playing a game where the rules keep changing, and loyalty always trumps intellect?
Because if there’s one lesson Floyd should’ve learned by now, it’s this: in South African politics, ideas matter far less than whose side you’re on. And right now, he’s on no one’s.
Verashni is passionate about empowering citizens to hold those in power to account. She was previously editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian and HuffPost South Africa, and won the CNN African Journalism Award, among others.
COLUMN | Should Floyd Shivambu go back to the EFF?
|
Poor Floyd Shivambu.
What did he think would happen, leaving one authoritarian figure for another?
Shivambu thrived for most of his political life alongside EFF Leader Julius Malema. That’s until those brothers-in-arms fell out spectacularly, with Shivambu joining former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party (MKP) in August last year, and Malema rage-spiralling in the wake of his departure.
So far, so normal for South African politics. But it didn’t take a genius to see what would come next. Zuma and his fledgling MKP are infamously tribalistic and loyalty-based. No one cares about your credentials. Rather, your standing with the notoriously calculating and self-interested Zuma is all that matters.
Now Zuma has made his true feelings VERY clear.
In response to the scrutiny over Shivambu’s demotion from Secretary General to an ordinary MP, Zuma took not-so-subtle aim at Shivambu in his Youth Day address yesterday in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Without naming him, Zuma nodded to the political rumour doing the rounds: that Floyd should leave the MKP and start his own party, noting, “If those people want to start their own party they should go ahead.” TimesLive even ran a poll about whether Floyd should start his own party, though, at the time of writing, that was one of the least popular options for those who voted.
I’m with those voters. Too many politicians think they can go it alone, only to fail at the polls. Big, charismatic politicians like Zuma and Malema tend to draw people. The thinkers behind them? Not so much.
Floyd Shivambu removed
What Floyd SHOULD do is be honest about how precarious his political position is – and has always been. When he was summarily ousted as Secretary General of the party two weeks ago – the seventh in the party’s year-and-a-half of existence nogal – people weren’t surprised. It was ostensibly because of Shivambu’s visit to fugitive Shepherd Bushiri’s church in Malawi.
But Floyd’s preceding six months in the party had already been super rocky, and the signs don’t look good.
Floyd’s achievements at the EFF
But even if he is successfully made an MKP parliamentarian, it’s a serious case of humble pie. Consider the senior roles he held in parliament previously when he was part of the EFF. He served as Chief Whip, effectively acting as COO to Julius Malema’s CEO. They made for a formidable combination.
His solo work, too, earned serious plaudits. As one of the longest-serving members of the Portfolio Committee on Finance in recent times, he earned a reputation as something of a financial watchdog. He brought a sharp, progressive lens to financial oversight, especially when it came to corruption and accountability. One of the causes he championed was fighting illicit financial flows — basically, money that should be taxed here in South Africa that gets secretly shifted out of the country instead. According to a 2022 study, our country’s loses about US 3.5–5 billion per year – over 1% of GDP. Other estimates peg it far higher.
His efforts helped create the Inter-Agency Working Group on Illicit Financial Flows, bringing together major players like SARS, the Reserve Bank, the Hawks (who investigate serious crimes), the FSCA (which oversees financial conduct), and the Special Investigating Unit, which tackles corruption and recovers public money.
Shivambu is also highly qualified. At yesterday’s rally, Zuma took aim at Shivambu’s intellectual chops, saying: “We are not going to be apologetic and bow down to individuals in this party. No matter how good, important and educated you are.”
Floyd, like many leaders in the EFF has a litany of academic achievements to his name, including graduating with a master’s degree, with distinction, in political studies back in 2014. In 2024, he received a second Master’s in International Development from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He began studying for his PhD in 2018, all by the age of 42.
Floyd and the VBS Bank scandal
But then there’s the dark side of Floyd. The violence. Swearing at various journalists. And of course, the 2018 VBS Mutual Bank scandal, where nearly R2 billion was funnelled from struggling municipalities and pensioners to a network of corrupt officials, politicians and their fixers.
A 2018 South African Reserve Bank report found Floyd’s brother Brian nabbed R16 million from VBS through his company, Sgameka Projects. Of that, R180,000 made its way to Floyd.
Floyd and Julius Malema may have also received up to R10 million through front companies, according to a 2023 sworn affidavit by convicted VBS chair Tshifhiwa Matodzi. He also said the EFF allegedly got R1 million a month to look the other way. The party, Floyd and Malema have denied these claims.
By October 2023, Parliament’s Ethics Committee found Floyd guilty of not disclosing the R180,000 and recommended he forfeit nine days’ salary.
What now?
These scandals, together with this latest series of blows at the MKP, mean that Floyd’s political credibility is now seriously dented. Starting another party is not the solution. But… is going back to the EFF a possibility?
On paper, it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. He and Julius Malema were a powerful duo once, balancing firebrand politics with a credible parliamentary presence. Floyd brought the ideological scaffolding, the policy focus, and the homework. Julius brought the heat, the charisma, the crowd. Together, they gave the EFF its best shot at real influence.
Sure, the end of the bromance was dramatic and Malema seems unlikely to forgive, but then again, this is a politician who is famous for his u-turns and flip-flops.
Maybe the better question is: Does Floyd still have the stomach for it? For rebuilding, for re-earning trust, for finding relevance in a political space that’s increasingly allergic to nuance? Or is it time for him to sit this one out, reflect, regroup, and figure out whether he wants to keep playing a game where the rules keep changing, and loyalty always trumps intellect?
Because if there’s one lesson Floyd should’ve learned by now, it’s this: in South African politics, ideas matter far less than whose side you’re on. And right now, he’s on no one’s.
Verashni Pillay
Verashni is passionate about empowering citizens to hold those in power to account. She was previously editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian and HuffPost South Africa, and won the CNN African Journalism Award, among others.
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