EFF National People’s Assembly: Red berets jubilant about electing new leaders

JOHANNESBURG - As Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from the various provinces arrived for the party’s third National People’s Assembly (NPA) to elect new leadership – the registration process for delegates took off.

The presence of the party’s delegates was characterised by jubilation and singing at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus on Thursday.

The party reiterated its dismay after its loss in the May general elections - where no political party garnered an outright majority.

The red berets' poor performance in KwaZulu-Natal is still haunting them. 

“We’re not happy with our performance in KZN,” said the EFF's outgoing Secretary-General Marshall Dlaminio - adding that it “affected our national outcome”.

They suffered defeat at the recent polls as they clinched the fourth spot with 9.52% of the national votes after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

The EFF's NPA is due to begin at the Nasrec Expo Centre on Friday and conclude on Sunday, with 2,500 delegates expected to elect leaders for the next five years.

One of the key leadership positions that the EFF is to fill, is that of Deputy President. 

This is after its former Deputy President Floyd Shivambu abandoned the party for the MK Party shortly after the elections.

This was due to finger-pointing after the party’s decimation at the polls.

It is a waiting game to see who will lead the red berets as delegates are due to make nominations followed by the voting process.