EFF's Ugu district in KZN battles leadership over 'bogus members'

Provincial leaders of the Economic Freedom Fighters in KwaZulu-Natal are embroiled in a legal battle with a disgruntled group.

Scores of supporters gathered outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday in a matter which has pitted members of the Ugu district against the provincial executive. The aggrieved members, representing chairpersons in the south coast district, want both the leadership of the Ugu region and provincial executive to be nullified.

In court papers filed in December, the members claimed that Ugu had sent representatives of about 82 branches to the provincial conference, the majority of whom  were not in good standing as they had not paid membership fees. The provincial conference, they argued, was filled with bogus members and therefore the provincial structure by extension, led by chair Vusi Khoza, should be dissolved.

The matter was adjourned on Monday to allow for the respondents, who are defending the matter, to file additional affidavits.

The court action comes in the wake of the EFF's national manifesto launch on Saturday.

Khoza told TimesLIVE: "We've just had a successful launch of the manifesto and we are now looking forward to provincial manifesto launch on February 23.

"There is absolutely nothing that is going to derail us. We know that enemy agents are bringing up this case to derail and defocus us so that we focus on this case instead of elections, but we are proceeding with preparations for elections."

Khoza said they were not going to be "deterred, derailed or defocused".

"This is just a minor issue that won't affect us in any way."

However, Nkosi Shange, a ward chair and one of the complainants, said: "While we are willing to give those that were challenging this application more time to prepare additional responses, we are moving forward with an interdict to stop the leadership.

"We understand that they are planning the provincial manifesto launch on February 23, but we will be serving an interdict against them to vacate their office in two weeks, before the launch."

Shange said their lawyers had been briefed and that the papers would be served in due course.