
It appears the marriage was fostered a little over a year ago.
EFF’s former organiser Cyril Chuene will contest a ward in Mbombela on a DA ticket, the party has said.
He has been going through the DA’s “rigorous candidate selection process” since a year ago and is qualified.
Chuene is an ambitious man who wanted a seat at the Mpumalanga legislature left vacant in 2018 when party leader Julius Malema sacked provincial secretary Alfred Skhosana for ‘underperformance’ but instead the EFF selected current deputy chairman Sam Zandamela for the seat.
ALSO SEE: Alfred Skhosana hits back at Malema
Chuene had also wanted to contest a position in the top 5 during the EFF’s Provincial People’s Assembly held on 1 September 2018 at the Ingwenyama Resort, Mbombela where he wanted to be the EFF’s provincial chairperson.

However, when Chuene realised in that conference that provincial chairman Collen Sedibe was having more support, he switched sides and declared his availability for the post of provincial secretary, which he lost when Gcina Mofokeng got elected unopposed to this position.
The 2018 conference also chose not to make Chuene an additional member of the provincial command team (PCT). He was a councillor at eHlanzeni district municipality at the time.
Again Chuene was purged when he was put last on the EFF legislature list for the 2019 government elections – at number 29, meaning that even if the EFF became a majority party in the 30-seat Mpumalanga legislature he would still not be a Member of the Provincial Legislature.
The EFF got 4 seats, DA 3, FF+ 1 and the ANC got 22.
Chuene said his decision to leave the party is not “personal” but informed by politics and “principles”.
He added he believes the DA is the “right vehicle” and now wants to “execute the people’s wish”.
“I’m not fighting with the EFF and I’m not fighting with anyone within the EFF. This move is about hope and helping our community,” said Chuene.
EFF leader Collen Sedibe said he was not surprised by Chuene‘s move and knew about it last year already.
“Good riddance to him for going,” Sedibe said adding that the EFF has no space for ‘position mongers’.
DA provincial leader Jane Sithole said the party welcomes Chuene.
“We are very excited to welcome the members from the EFF and what makes us even more excited it’s that these are people who have thought through DA policies that have embraced DA’s principles.
“Anyone who joins the DA understands the DA’s position on land and understands the DA’s position on race politics,” said Sithole.
(edited by MGB)
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