Julius Malema has lashed out at a group of disgruntled party members in KwaZulu-Natal, saying "deadwood" would not be allowed to thrive in the EFF.
"I am not here to be liked by anyone," he said at a meeting of a dissident group within the EFF, the People's General Assembly, in Durban yesterday.
"I am here to stand for the truth, even in the EFF."
The party's leadership in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape was fired on the grounds of the party's poor performance in those provinces in the August 3 local government elections.
However, some party members were critical of the party's national leadership, particularly that of deputy leader Floyd Shivambu, and blamed it, not the provincial leadership, for the disappointing poll performance.
They said there were questions about how election funds had been allocated and spent.
Malema said the reason for the disbanding of the two provincial leadership bodies was solely their poor performance.
"It is not because they have done anything wrong ... but they were not helping us to get the result we required in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Without KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape we will not have the maximum impact nationally because a lot of voters are in those provinces, and Gauteng."
He said the dissidents were "politically illiterate".
"I do not know why people are so worked up, calling press conferences and fighting for all sorts of things. You do not know what you are complaining about.
"We are not a group of drunkards, we are not nyaope [drug] delinquents. We are a serious organisation, preparing to take over governance, and we are not going to do that with drunkards and nyaope delinquents, and people who are disrespectful of the leadership, the [EFF] constitution and the code of conduct."
He said the party needed "maximum discipline", especially in KwaZulu-Natal.
"We are not making inroads in this province because you are talking positions, you are talking factionalism."
The party's interim leadership in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape was appointed yesterday. Malema threatened action against the leaders if they failed to work hard.
"[The interim leaders] will come to your region and establish a properly running regional office. They are going to start work at 8am and finish at 4.30pm. If it is closed between those hours, then there is going to be a problem. There must be employees, employed by the EFF and paid by the EFF, to manage and run that office.
"I am responsible for supervising this team and everything it does.
"Let me not find you out of the office between 8am and 4.30pm ..." he warned.
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