Xiluva party leader Bongani Baloyi says he does not regret rejecting EFF leader Julius Malema’s offer to join the red berets last year after he left ActionSA to form his own party.
Speaking at the Rhodes University lecture on Monday, Malema said he invited Baloyi to join his party and believed that if he had accepted his offer, he could have been an MP.
“Bongani Baloyi, when he left ActionSA, I asked him to join the EFF, and he thought he was so popular to the extent that he would pull it off alone, that he was going to be an independent candidate when he formed his party. He doesn’t even have a single seat. So if he had come to the EFF, he would be a member of parliament by now,” Malema said.
He said Baloyi would have thrived as an MP, citing his Midvaal mayoral tenure. “As an individual, he possesses the necessary qualities of leadership. He is one of very few Africans who ran a municipality for a full term without any problems from the auditor-general. Every audit was clean because he led from the front.”
Though the Xiluva party did not perform well at the polls, receiving only 0.02% of the votes, and the EFF received 9.52% and 39 parliamentary seats, Baloyi remained resolute in his decision. “An offer was made for me to join the party after I left ActionSA, and I declined the offer. I wanted to pursue Xiluva. I don't regret anything,” he told TimesLIVE.
Baloyi left ActionSA in 2023 to form Xiluva and forge his own political path. Leading up to the May 29 elections, he previously stated he was not afraid of failure, as many believed he would fail. “That’s the risk when you pursue your vision unashamedly and put it out there for people to follow you. It demonstrates the courage of your convictions,” he said.
“The risk of failure doesn’t paralyse me. If I fail, I do so publicly, and I move on. I am brave enough to try again; I am not held back by fear. I believe this is something bigger than me, and I really need to try to get it done.”
TimesLIVE
No regrets for Bongani Baloyi for rejecting Malema's offer to join EFF
Malema believes Baloyi would have done well as an MP
Image: MASI LOSI
Xiluva party leader Bongani Baloyi says he does not regret rejecting EFF leader Julius Malema’s offer to join the red berets last year after he left ActionSA to form his own party.
Speaking at the Rhodes University lecture on Monday, Malema said he invited Baloyi to join his party and believed that if he had accepted his offer, he could have been an MP.
“Bongani Baloyi, when he left ActionSA, I asked him to join the EFF, and he thought he was so popular to the extent that he would pull it off alone, that he was going to be an independent candidate when he formed his party. He doesn’t even have a single seat. So if he had come to the EFF, he would be a member of parliament by now,” Malema said.
He said Baloyi would have thrived as an MP, citing his Midvaal mayoral tenure. “As an individual, he possesses the necessary qualities of leadership. He is one of very few Africans who ran a municipality for a full term without any problems from the auditor-general. Every audit was clean because he led from the front.”
Though the Xiluva party did not perform well at the polls, receiving only 0.02% of the votes, and the EFF received 9.52% and 39 parliamentary seats, Baloyi remained resolute in his decision. “An offer was made for me to join the party after I left ActionSA, and I declined the offer. I wanted to pursue Xiluva. I don't regret anything,” he told TimesLIVE.
Baloyi left ActionSA in 2023 to form Xiluva and forge his own political path. Leading up to the May 29 elections, he previously stated he was not afraid of failure, as many believed he would fail. “That’s the risk when you pursue your vision unashamedly and put it out there for people to follow you. It demonstrates the courage of your convictions,” he said.
“The risk of failure doesn’t paralyse me. If I fail, I do so publicly, and I move on. I am brave enough to try again; I am not held back by fear. I believe this is something bigger than me, and I really need to try to get it done.”
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
‘The risk of failure doesn’t paralyse me’: Bongani Baloyi on his party contesting in 2024
'You will never intimidate me': Bongani Baloyi takes aim as he leaves ActionSA
Herman Mashaba responds to ‘dictator’ claims amid Bongani Baloyi’s resignation
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