Tensions flare as former EFF leader attacks party president Julius Malema
|Published
A former EFF chairperson in Limpopo has launched a tirade on EFF president Julius Malema, labelling him a manipulator and a “woman who refuses to be divorced.”
Without mentioning Malema by name, but making it clear he was referring to him, Buthane, who was once Malema’s close ally, has asked him on a social media platform to stop talking “nonsense” and insulting him in public.
Buthane threatened during his tirade that he had files on Malema and would spill all the beans if Malema continued disrespecting him.
Buthane started his rant this week after he saw a video clip of Malema talking about him during one of the EFF’s rallies ahead of the May 29 elections.
In one of the clips, the Red Berets president can be heard making an example of Buthane, saying that when people cross him, he crashes them and they should ask Buthane.
Tensions between the two friends began flaring up following the party’s poor showing during the 2021 local government elections, forcing Malema and his executive to disband the Limpopo provincial command team (PCT), led by Buthane.
Malema at the time had said the decision to disband the EFF’s PCT was taken by the party’s central command team, which is the EFF’s highest decision-making structure.
However, Buthane saw it as a betrayal by his friend and long-time ally and broke ranks to form the Workers Emancipation Trade Union last year.
In one of his attacks on Malema this week Buthane wrote: “U (you) disbanded us, we kept quiet. Business people knew the details of the disbandment before us and we said nothing.
“You manipulated branch processes in particular ward 13 Polokwane, we kept quiet and even voluntarily gave you your position of deployment and you still think you have a mouth to talk?
“Wait wena maan (you) stop behaving like a woman who is refusing a divorce. Respect our respect for you and stop this thing you are doing. Your organisation has good people and a great future if u can’t respect yourself at least respect them.”
In another post Buthane writes: “That nonsense of going around insulting and talking nonsense about us must come to an end. We are not scared and we were never scared of you, we just respected you and your office and mostly took you as a brother.
“It can’t happen that even in our silence you continue to bully us and we become honourable all the time.
“Continue talking rubbish, you will see and you will know what we mean. There will be no limits and no one must try to cool us down (be)cause u spoke a lot of nonsense until o e tshwa lemina (in Sepedi, loosely translated to your were snorting) and they kept quiet.”
In another post after Buthane saw the video clip, he asked: “I just saw the stadium clip. Was it necessary? Did you comrades talk to him after he was drunk by a microphone forgetting he got 3 votes during bi-elections in a ward of a Province he held a National event? If not, please keep your advice to yourselves.”
He added in Sepedi that he was not afraid of anything.
EFF spokesperson Vuyani Thambo, speaking to The Star, said the party was focused on elections and nothing else.
However social media user Morwa Motjipa Kasebele, responding to Buthane’s post, challenged Buthane to find Malema on Twitter.
“Go straight to Twitter he will answer you Facebook yona aowa lebala. Our president is Julius and we will follow him until until,” the post read.
Another user, Dinga Xilowa Dingaan, wrote: “ But chair you can't complain about bullying ... especially yourself”, implying that Buthane was a bully himself
Buthane responded: “Many of you come here and want to defend but deep down you are hurting. Many of you in leadership are even going through professional help because you are insulted [by Malema] day in day out, when they say there is a meeting and he [Malema] is coming your BPs go high and sugar problems start troubling you, but here in public you want to be defensive and defend what you don’t even know.”
The Star
mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za