Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members have been sending deputy president Floyd Shivambu messages of appreciation after a video of Julius Malema praising him.
In the video, Malema praises Shivambu for not being opportunistic when the then-ANC Youth League president was expelled from the party.
Malema was expelled from the ANC in 2012 for bringing the party into disrepute.
“Floyd and I never got expelled. I was expelled. Floyd was suspended for three years and Magaqa was suspended for one year. Magaqa remained and Floyd said ‘I’m leaving with you’.”
When Floyd was threatened with an expulsion, he decided to resign.
“If Floyd was an opportunist and wanted to become a tender dude or a careerist, he would stayed.
“He had all the reasons to stay; he’s smart, he’s an intellectual, he’s got all types of qualifications to look for in a person and to stay in the ANC gives you a step ahead of everybody.
ALSO READ: I defended Malema before he was expelled – Mbalula
“He knew what was there for him. With all of that, from a poor family in Malamulele, he decided on a generational mission: ‘I’m leaving with this guy’.
“You should stop making a mistake that Floyd was expelled. I left because I was expelled, I don’t think I would have left. I asked them to retain my membership and suspend me, not expel me. They said ‘no we don’t want to’.
“I left and Floyd followed. Floyd is not here because he had no options. He took a conscious generational decision. Many of my friends remained,” said the EFF leader.
Listen to CIC Julius Malema speaking about DP Floyd Shivambu ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/GrfANmgz1J
— Battalion 54 (@54Battalion) March 22, 2021
Fighters have been sending messages of appreciation to their deputy president on social media.
ALSO READ: ‘My political opponents are not my enemies,’ says Mbalula on friendship with Malema
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Natasha Mazzone has been dragged on social media after posting a picture of Ronald Lamola, Shivambu, Malema and Pule Mabe and said they were “getting too comfortable”.
When a picture tells a thousand words and explains so many situations ????????????we see you, you’re getting too comfortable. Omertà never lasts. pic.twitter.com/zJC6Myc4Qk
— Natasha Mazzone MP (@Natasha9Mazzone) March 21, 2021
Responding to a critic who told her “sitting on opposite benches doesn’t mean you’re enemies”, Mazzone said there was absolutely nothing that could “get me to associate in any way with Malema. NOTHING!”.
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