Sources say Malema is angry with Mpumalanga’s underperformance.
EFF national leader Julius Malema has suspended Mpumalanga secretary Alfred Skhosana – AGAIN – and told him to wait at home until a disciplinary hearing settles the matter.
Skhosana this time is suspended for “underperformance,” this paper has learnt, and has been “relieved” from all party duties, including representing the EFF in the Mpumalanga legislature.
This is the second time Skhosana has been suspended by the higher structure of the party.
In August 2016, the party suspended Skhosana for skipping payments of the monthly party levy that all EFF parliamentarians, legislature members and councillors are compelled to pay.
A highly-placed source told the 013NEWS reporter on Monday this week that on Sunday the entire Mpumalanga leadership of the party was summoned to party headquarters in Braamfontein, Gauteng where an angry Malema ripped into Skhosana and party councillors who have been “underperforming” and skipping payments of the party levy.
“They summoned the provincial command team and regional representatives to the HQ,” the source told the reporter.
“All of us we were there the whole day on Sunday and we dealt with issues,” the source said.
“On Saturday it was Governance Task Units issues and on Sunday HQ was dealing with Mpumalanga,” the source told the reporter over the phone.
“I’ve never seen Malema angry like that in my life. All of us we were shaking. It can mean the end of your political career. Skhosana read the report as secretary on behalf of the PCT and Malema criticised it and called him a useless thing and said with people like him that’s why the EFF is struggling in Mpumalanga,” the source said.
Another source, who serves in one of the regions of Mpumalanga but who didn’t attend the Sunday meeting at party headquarters, on Sunday night sent the 013NEWS reporter a WhatsApp text, reading: “Skhosana is suspended as a secretary. They say Julius was scathing (sic) to his conduct. Even the report he presented was (sic) shambolic. He said without Collen in this province EFF will collapse”.
Skhosana didn’t pick up his phone on Monday this week.
Provincial spokesman Collen Sedibe on Monday morning this week declined to comment, saying all media enquiries should go to national secretary Godrich Gardee.
“Please phone Gardee,” Sedibe said over the phone.
When asked, Gardee said: “I don’t know what you are talking about, really”.
Another source in one of the Mpumalanga regions who is privy to national decisions and who frequently chats with the 013NEWS reporter on WhatsApp messenger confirmed the news Skhosana had been placed on suspension and that party MP Veronica Mente is deployed to “assist the party return to its original self”.
“I have also been told of the suspension,” he said over the phone. “I heard they are sending Veronica Mente to help Mpumalanga,” the source said.
SEE ALSO: Malema’s strict ‘party levy’ rules
(edited by ZK)
Send tips editor@013.co.za
