Many people already predicted the EFF’s failure when the news surfaced that its deputy president Floyd Shivambu was going to leave the party. It was widely reported that he had decided not to renew his membership and had stepped down from all his roles in the party. On Thursday, 15 August, the EFF called a media conference where Shivambu tendered his ‘resignation’ from the party.

Floyd Shivambu has decided to hitch his wagon to the MK party.

Suddenly, there is inexplicable excitement in all corners of South African society: there are wild speculations on why he made an “unexpected decision to ditch the EFF.” Some quickly scripted the obituaries of EFF leader Julius Sello Malema and the party itself. With all the noises, it suddenly became clear that Shivambu’s saga is completely misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Among others, Daily Maverick’s Queenin Masuabi speculated that friction existed between Malema and Shivambu. She also added that Shivambu’s exit was due to the EFF losing its status as the country’s third-largest party and the MK party surpassing the Red Berets to become the official opposition in the National Assembly. One social media fan wrote that Shivambu was “leaving a cult to join a tribal movement. I really thought he was intelligent.”

Only long-time EFF member Sentletse Diakanyo seemed to have a grasp of what was unfolding. He decided to be poetic: The Sun undergoes an 11-year cycle where its magnetic field flips, causing intense activity like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. After this peak, the Sun’s activity calms down.

He then wished Shivambu well and expressed support for Malema. In hindsight, Carl Niehaus and Mzwanele Manyi’s arrival indicated closeness rather than tensions between the EFF and MK Party. Shivambu’s addition is a deliberate, contextually significant move.

The sophistication of cultural practices in African societies is often deemed irrelevant or backward when discussing seemingly complex concepts like the ongoing saga involving Shivambu, EFF and MK Party. Nevertheless, this article attempts to shed some light on the Shivambu issue as an important development in the South African political landscape, both in the short- and long terms.

The argument is that the EFF and MK Party are consolidating for the future and seem to believe that their success lies in their unity. Shivambu is a crucial bridge to operationalise the “progressive force” vision that has found meaning in parliament. To make sense of this assumption, I turn to cultural practices in African societies to shed light on the EFF-MK Party’s political strategy as we advance.

When former President Jacob Zuma announced the formation of the MK Party late last year, he surprised many people. It also looks like he surprised himself. This young party exceeded expectations in the May 2024 polls and did the unthinkable by significantly reducing the ANC’s majority to under 50 plus one threshold.

Therefore, the EFF-MK Party’s political strategy is anchored on this trajectory. These two parties believe the time is right to capitalise on the ANC’s decline and post-election response. As its splinters, they always phrased their raison d’etre around obtaining concessions from the ANC. However, the GNU has forced them to go for broke and gun for the ultimate prize, getting a majority to govern.

African wisdom to keep everything in the family

According to the African version of the Levirate Law, if a man’s wife could not bear children, a male family member was asked to procreate to continue the family line. The primary purpose of this practice was to ensure the continuation of the deceased brother’s family line and inheritance. The child born from this union would legally be considered the child of the deceased or infertile brother.

MK Party was born without any infrastructure or inbuilt capacity to function as a proper political party, as evidenced by some of the changes continuing to happen. This generally hampers its operational effectiveness inside and outside parliament. On the other hand, the EFF boasts over ten years of experience and operates a somewhat functional machine. It also participated in two elections with reasonable success and has a national footprint.

Looking at the strengths and weaknesses, the EFF may have saturated its growth when it did not perform as well as anticipated. However, the MK Party promises to be an agile hawk that can devour the ANC. Thus, it makes sense for these two parties to combine their strengths and address their weaknesses to realise the “progressive force” vision.

When I touted the idea that the EFF and MK Party should join forces because their political ideology and supporters were highly identical, this was dismissed as hogwash. Critics pointed to the big personalities of Zuma and Malema as supposedly incompatible, making it difficult to keep two bulls in one kraal. Many people forget the father and son relationship between these men.

Zuma once declared Malema a future president. In 2011, journalist Justice Malala asked: Is Julius Malema South Africa’s president in waiting? He then did not close the door on this possibility by likening to Zuma as a new “man with nine lives”. The family tea gathering between Zuma and Malema in Nkandla pre-empted Shivambu’s switch from the EFF to MK Party — a family affair.

Ilima/letsema represents cooperation, mutual aid and cohesion

In the heart of our communities lies the enriching practice of Ilima or letsema, which embodies the principles of cooperation, mutual support and social harmony. This communal approach fosters a collective spirit, uniting individuals to work towards common goals that enhance the well-being of the entire group.

The Shivambu, EFF and MK Party saga underscore the relevance of Ilima, particularly as leaders like Malema could not bear the sight of the MK Party struggling to stand on two feet. Witnessing their struggles, Malema and his peers have drawn upon the essence of letsema, rekindling a commitment to grooming that was absent in their early days as a new party.

This newfound synergy illustrates the importance of support within political spheres and serves as a reminder of the strength found in community solidarity. Ilima cultivates deep social connections and fosters a sense of belonging among participants. Working together transforms tasks into communal activities where every contribution is valued and celebrated.

This collaborative ethos can be likened to the strategic alliances formed in the business world, where companies unite with suppliers, distributors, and competitors to enhance value and achieve collective success. This explains Shivambu and Manyi’s switch to the MK Party: they bring letsema to support the new baby as it grows teeth for tough battles ahead.

Leasing a bull for superior genetics

Shivambu recently wrote, “The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom”.

The EFF deputy president’s reputation as an erudite and capable individual is unquestionable. He has established himself as someone comfortable working behind the scenes and not afraid to delve into his own thoughts. In short, he is an intelligent individual who stands out among his peers as a thinker and an institution builder. He has been a pillar of the EFF’s political successes and has supported Malema with distinction.

Our families and communities would exchange bulls to maximise benefits like access to superior genetics without the need to own the beast. This practice is common among cattle ranchers, who also enter into lease agreements without bearing the total cost of ownership. There is no better candidate than Shivambu for Malema and Zuma to choose to strengthen the EFF-MK Party ties.

The ethos of letsema emphasises the need for unity and cooperation, particularly in maintaining collective political lineage, where the bull is central to the necessary genetic perpetuation. For the MK Party, having Shivambu as a pivotal figure is essential in reinforcing these ties and driving the collective vision forward. Shivambu is an experienced, old political hand that MK Party needs to be EFF’s strategic fit.

Political confluences: The future is around the corner

On August 12, Business Day’s Hajra Omarjee reported that the ANC and IFP told big business that South Africa’s fate was in the balance and invited Big Capital to support the GNU, warning that its failure would lead to the country’s failure. With time, the ANC appears to be drifting to the right, leaving acres of space for the EFF-MK Party duo to exploit.

These divisions suggest a future with two major conglomerations: one led by the EFF-MK Party ensemble and the other by the GNU orchestra. These two bulls are already thinking about the 2026 local government elections and the national elections in 2029. The thinking within the EFF-MK Party is that the ANC will not emerge from the GNU alive. As confirmed by Malema, “the government of national unity will collapse as soon as Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC presidency comes to an end.”

Shivambu’s arrival at the MK Party signals a political confluence outside the GNU coalition. Congratulations to Malema for putting on a great show Thursday afternoon. Similarly, the MK Party also made a strong impression as they welcomed Shivambu and Manyi.

Siyabonga Hadebe is a PhD candidate in international economic law and a labour market expert based in Geneva.