ANC must learn from Shivambu’s EFF defection: Lesufi

Gauteng African National Congress (ANC) Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi says there is a lot to learn from Floyd Shivhambu’s departure from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) Party.

He was addressing delegates at their Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Lekgotla which concludes on Monday in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

Last week, Shivambu, who served as EFF deputy president, left the red beret party he founded with his lifelong friend Julius Malema to join forces with his former political rival Jacob Zuma.

While some are celebrating the exodus in the EFF and Shivambu’s departure, Lesufi notes it was a great lesson for parties to learn on how they can manage the population of young people in their leadership ranks.

“We must learn what is called the maintenance of generational mix. That the leadership of every political party must have a generational mix,” Lesufi says, adding when members clash it collapses the movement.

“So the importance of generational mix has been re-affirmed by the departure of the DP of the EFF, that we must ensure that even when we differ, we must have those that are senior to call us to order. We must ensure that within the structural leadership of the ANC, we must not chase other people out of the movement. That is disastrous comrades.”

Meanwhile, Lesufi says the party must adapt or face being wiped out.

“We either either adapt or we perish, we either adapt or we die. We either adapt or we close shop. And comrades it is not going to assist anyone to finger point and say this province has made us lose, all of us average as a country we have achieved 40% and that’s a loss and we think of ourselves and rise and rebuild this movement because there is no other movement for us except the ANC,” he adds.

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