Malema refuses to clarify whether Ndlozi's been barred from EFF's elective conference

JOHANNESBURG - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has refused to clarify whether or not senior member, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, has been barred from attending the party’s elective conference.

Last week, suggestions that Ndlozi had been banned from participating in the EFF’s third National People’s Assembly scheduled to sit next month surfaced.

READ: Malema rejects claims of a mass exodus from EFF

At a media briefing at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on Monday, Malema refused to answer questions regarding Ndlozi’s future in the party.

Younger factions within the EFF have been pushing for former Ndlozi to vie for a position in the party's top six leadership.

Reports suggest this led to Ndlozi being barred from attending the party's elective conference, as other factions perceived him as a threat to their path to power.

When asked to clarify this matter, Malema refused to entertain it, describing it as "shebeen gossip".

"I don’t know what you want me to answer about Ndlozi because I have never said anything about Ndlozi. So do not bring your shebeen gossip to me to glorify some toilet discussion. I’m not part of that."

On Sunday, Ndlozi was deployed to KwaZulu-Natal for the party’s provincial general assembly, a key event leading up to its elective conference.

However, EWN has learnt that despite his assignment, Ndlozi was not present at the gathering.