Ex-EFF chair Dali Mpofu joins exodus to MK Party, which he ‘secretly’ set up with Zuma

Advocate Dali Mpofu, the former EFF chairperson and long-time Jacob Zuma legal representative, was actively involved in the formation of the uMkhonto Wesizwe party which he and Zuma secretly started discussing as far back as early 2022.  

At the time of discussing the formation of MK, Zuma was an active member of the ANC while Mpofu was an active EFF member.  

“There was a time when former president Zuma and I were the only people who knew about this project of the formation of MK,” Mpofu said on Thursday morning during an exclusive interview with the SABC’s Mzwandile Mbeje in which he revealed that he had left the red berets after a lot of soul searching. 

The MK party was officially announced on 16 December 2023 without any leadership structures or clear policies. It contested its first general election on 29 May and won 15% of the national vote, making it the country’s  third-largest political party.    

MK national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela described Mpofu’s defection to the MK as a natural transition because he had been with the party behind the scenes, and was constantly advising Zuma on how to go about setting it up, and on its structures. 

“I think it was a natural transition for comrade Dali. He has been with us since day one, before even the MK party was announced officially. If there is one person who understands politics and dynamics it is him,” Ndhlela said.  

It was not immediately clear what role Mpofu would take within the party.

Mpofu served as the EFF’s national chairperson from 2014 to 2019. His departure does not come as a surprise since the party has been experiencing an exodus of members leaving for MK.  

The door was opened by its former deputy president Floyd Shivambu who resigned from the party he co-founded with Julius Malema. A week after his resignation, Shivambu was unveiled as MK’s national organiser, a position that saw him take control of political education, monitoring, governance and the establishment of structures and the constitution.   

Read more: Shivambu gets key role as national organiser – MK party announces National High Command  

Mzwanele Manyi and Busisiwe Mkhwebane are among those who have left the EFF to join the MK party. Both have been parachuted into critical positions. Manyi is the MK’s chief whip in Parliament while Mkhwebane was recently appointed its Mpumalanga convenor.  

Following Shivambu’s deflection, Malema warned that more would follow. Among those suspected to have been on the list is Mpofu. However, in August he rubbished the speculation, saying he would never leave the EFF because he had helped build it from scratch. 

“I’m not just part of the EFF, the EFF is us. It’s something that we have built from nothing; it’s not something that you just wake up one day and walk away.”    

Asked by the SABC if he still subscribed to the EFF as he did 11 years ago when it was formed, Mpofu responded: “My own view has always been that the EFF played a very significant role in even creating the current conditions… to be fair to the EFF, even when the MK knocked the final blow to the ANC, the MK found a very soft target because the EFF did difficult work for the past 10 years and the philosophy of the EFF of economic freedom cannot be faulted.  

“However, I am of the view now that the party that really represents my own passion for much-needed unity is the MK party,” he said.  

Asked if MK, particularly Shivambu, was behind some of the members leaving the EFF, and whether MK had approached some of the members, Ndhlela said: “We are not poaching. We are a civil movement that is going to liberate our people and which people resonate with, we don’t go out recruiting.”  

The EFF’s national spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys, did not respond to requests for comment. However, Malema said on X he anticipated at least two more senior leaders would leave the party, but the organisation would remain standing: 

“Only two more of your [Shivambu’s] favourites remain, and the list will be finalised. They sing beautifully and are always willing to pose for pictures and sign roll calls, but remember, their souls are long gone. We remain standing and are not going anywhere under a criminal syndicate.”  

Political analyst, Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said Mpofu’s departure was expected and would further hurt the party. 

“I am not taken aback by the recent turn of events. Personally, I saw it coming and the reasons provided by Mpofu for ditching the EFF don’t make sense.”  

While it remains unclear what is at the heart of the exodus from the EFF, Breakfast said he suspected it was Malema’s military leadership style.  

Zuma, on the other hand, has his own leadership style, and will continue to have unfettered control of MK, with no elective conference in sight. Daily Maverick previously reported that Zuma said that part of the reason for not heading to a conference was that the gatherings were often “bought”, used for wrong reasons and created divisions, which MK could not afford.

“Conferences have become fake. People use money. They buy people to vote for them and do everything. We are saying that is not going to happen to the MK,” Zuma said.

The decision raises questions about the importance of democracy in the party and its stability, and about the legitimacy of the people appointed to lead the party and whether it has a succession plan. DM