Mbalula claims Malema-Shivambu fallout is all for show

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has dismissed the highly publicised fallout between Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema and his former deputy Floyd Shivambu as nothing more than political theatre.

Although Shivambu’s departure from the EFF to join Jacob Zuma’s MK Party in 2023 shocked many, Mbalula believes the move — and the reported feud — is part of a calculated political strategy.

“That’s a movie we’re being subjected to. That fight between Floyd and Julius? It’s not real — it’s fiction. These people are buddies. Floyd has been sent to manage Zuma in the MK Party and Dali Mpofu,” said Mbalula.

Malema and Shivambu co-founded the EFF in 2013 after their exit from the ANC Youth League. Over the years, the two were viewed as political allies with a close personal bond. However, Shivambu’s defection, along with other high-profile former EFF members like advocate Dali Mpofu, has cast doubt on the strength of that alliance.

Shivambu on Malema: ‘We were never close.’

In contrast, Shivambu painted a different picture of his relationship with Malema. Speaking on the Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh Xperience podcast, the former deputy president of the EFF denied that he and Malema were ever close outside their political work.

“Sometimes this so-called brotherhood is not brotherhood, it borders on gangsterism relationships. If one person is wrong, you can’t call each other to order. You defend each other even if one is doing wrong things,” Shivambu said.

While Mbalula suggests it’s all a scripted drama, Shivambu insists their ties were always professional and have now ended for good.