Malema in middle of EFF 'lies' battle

[caption id="attachment_26395" align="alignright" width="100"] JULIUS MALEMA[/caption]

AHEAD of the Economic Freedom Fighters' first elective conference later this year, cracks are starting to show between two of its leaders in the Western Cape.

And the party's self-styled commander-in-chief, Julius Malema, has been accused of picking sides in the party's internal battles.

The EFF's former provincial co-ordinator, Gcobani Ndzongana, has accused the party's provincial convenor and sole MPL, Nazier Paulsen, of destroying him, and dared the party to discipline him.

"This guy is destroying me personally because he's got fear that I will challenge him. I'm not in this organisation [EFF] for position," Ndzongana said.

On Sunday Ndzongana launched a diatribe against Paulsen on his Facebook wall, accusing him of spreading lies to secure elected positions ahead of May's elections.

"Now we are going to the provincial elective congress they use the same strategy, spreading lies to the masses," Ndzongana posted.

The "lies" being spread about him by Paulsen was that he had pocketed the R180 membership fees where the EFF had gone on recruitment drives in the towns of Robertson and Ceres.

Ndzongana said although he had initially been EFF convenor in the Western Cape at the launch of the party last year, he stood aside for a coloured person.

"The majority of people in this province are coloured. But now you've got this insecurity because he [Paulsen] knows that he's not working, he's not doing anything. Since he was appointed as convenor of the Western Cape he has not visited all the regions [of the province]," Ndzongana said.

He said what had made the situation worse was that Malema had taken the side of Paulsen.

"He's going to kill the movement because he's taken sides. He's not leading us as a leader," Ndzongana said.

Malema said Ndzongana had blundered by publicising his complaints. "He's not spoken to me. We are not going to entertain any issue he has," Malema said.

Paulsen said he was not paying any attention to the accusations against him from Ndzongana.

"We are a disciplined organisation. If there are issues we deal with [them] in the organisation," Paulsen said.

He would not respond to Ndzongana's negativity, but said he only wanted to build the EFF. - Quinton Mtyala