Floyd Shivambu: EFF is just like the ANC, directionless and unfit to lead

Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu has dismissed South Africa’s main black opposition parties as unfit to replace the ANC, calling the EFF ‘directionless’ and not focused on the people. 

In a scathing interview with the SABC on Wednesday morning, Shivambu declared that while the ANC is “naturally dying” and has “fulfilled its historical mission,” neither the EFF nor any other existing black political formation offered a credible alternative to address South Africa’s deepening socio-economic crisis.

“The EFF is not an alternative to the crisis of South Africa,” Shivambu said. “If anything, it will deepen the crisis. Why? Because it’s directionless and has adopted the exact mannerisms and habits of the ANC.”

In his most direct critique to date since founding his movement, Shivambu claimed the EFF of embracing corrupt governance practices and abandoning its founding values.

The former EFF deputy president, Shivambu revealed internal dysfunction and resistance to accountability, particularly when the party entered municipal governments in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, and Tshwane.

“There were complaints about the conduct of our deployees in government. When we tried to intervene, organisational resolutions would be passed to protect wrongdoing,” he explained.

Shivambu also took personal accountability for not acting sooner, stating that his leadership style prioritised democratic centralism over personal convictions — even when party decisions clashed with his own values.

“I will never impose my individual views on the collective. Even when I disagreed, I subjected myself to the majority. That’s how I’ve always led.”

According to Shivambu, the initial push for EFF’s participation in governance was strategic: he wanted to test how members would conduct themselves when entrusted with power.

But what emerged, he said, was a toxic culture of self-enrichment, replacing earlier mandates focused on service delivery and job creation.

“We used to have weekly check-ins — how many jobs were created, what programmes were implemented for the people. That got abolished and replaced with self-enrichment mandates. That’s when I pulled back.”

The recently launched movement, positions itself as a disciplined, people-driven alternative, committed to ethical governance and African renaissance principles.

Shivambu has repeatedly called for a political reset, rooted in traditional leadership, religious ethics, and community-based development.

His remarks are expected to heighten tensions between the Mayibuye and the EFF ahead of the upcoming elections, with many political analysts predicting a fractured black political vote in key metros.

But the EFF has already mentioned that they would not entertain anything said by Shivambu. 

Meanwhile, Shivambu said his movement will win the 2026 local government elections and also the 2029 general elections.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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