EFF’s Veronica Mente is staying put

The EFF’s national chairperson Veronica Mente has no plans to leave the party.

There has been speculation about her future in the EFF since Floyd Shivambu’s departure last week after allegations of a fallout with party leader Julius Malema over the government of national unity (GNU) talks and positions allegedly offered to the party by ANC negotiators.

Sources opposed to Malema have claimed former deputy president Shivambu’s resentment began building when he discovered Malema had scuppered the EFF’s prospects of joining the GNU, in which he could have served as deputy finance minister. The sources also claimed Malema had arranged for Mente to take up the position of deputy speaker in the National Assembly, but changed his mind after he failed to secure the second deputy president position for himself.

Malema has disputed claims he interfered in the negotiations, adding there was no offer for Shivambu to become deputy finance minister.

He, however, confirmed telling President Cyril Ramaphosa that if he constituted a minority government with the ANC’s 40%, the EFF would support him but demand that Mente be made deputy speaker to hold government accountable.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Mente defended Malema, saying it was not true he sank her chances to become speaker or deputy speaker.

“That wasn’t scuppered at all. (The) ANC didn’t want to work with the EFF. It was public knowledge that on the same day the president [Malema] met Ramaphosa the EFF has asked for deputy speaker and my name was forwarded as a candidate. The ANC didn’t accept that,” she said.

Mente contested the speaker position during the first sitting of the National Assembly in June but lost to Thoko Didiza.

“I contested speaker and physically accepted the nomination so how will I not know,” she said in response to whether she was aware of an offer to make her the deputy speaker.

“The ANC chose who to work with. It had nothing to do with the EFF president.”

Mente said she was not aggrieved by an ANC decision “to bring colonisers” through the back door. She said she will use the necessary platforms to fight that and attain economic freedom.

“I am a member of the EFF in good standing having renewed my membership on July 17. The EFF is the only political home I have, and will remain one even if I am the last member remaining.”    

TimesLIVE