EFF leader Julius Malema says the party’s relationship with AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo will continue, despite the king’s recent controversial visit to Israel and support for the country.
Malema addressed the media on Thursday, confirming there is no bad blood between the king and the EFF, a party known for its strong anti-Israel stance.
Dalindyebo recently travelled to Israel as part of a delegation hosted by Israel’s foreign affairs minister, Gideon Sa’ar. The stated goal of the visit was for the king to gain an “authentic picture” of the situation on the ground after Hamas’ October 7 2023 attack by meeting people and experiencing the country firsthand.
After his return, the king drew widespread condemnation, particularly from key AbaThembu royal houses. Given the king’s association with the anti-Israel EFF, many called for the party to take action against him.
Malema, however, said his political stance on Israel would not affect the EFF’s relationship with the AbaThembu royal family.
“We’ll continue to have a relationship with the royal family of AbaThembu as a royal family recognised by our nation and our performance,” he said.
Dalindyebo’s politics as an individual — if he’s a member, he’s no longer a member because he defined himself outside the organisational policy. It’s not us who chased him away; if he’s a member, he chased himself away. He has no business being a member of the EFF
— Julius Malema, EFF leader
Regarding the king’s political allegiance to the party, Malema said Dalindyebo has effectively removed himself if he’s a member.
“Dalindyebo’s politics as an individual — if he’s a member, he’s no longer a member because he defined himself outside the organisational policy. It’s not us who chased him away; if he’s a member, he chased himself away. He has no business being a member of the EFF.”
Malema said a king’s membership status is irrelevant to the party’s dealings with the kingdom, asserting that kings should ideally not join political parties because all citizens belong to the royal house.
While maintaining the relationship, Malema made it clear that the EFF disagrees with the king’s political choice to side with Israel: “We disagree with that, and in our membership system we will never have an individual who sides with Israel.”
He also noted Dalindyebo is “a trained soldier” and “politically trained”, suggesting the king understands the complexity of the Palestine-Israel conflict despite his decision to visit.
He said the public should not be surprised to see him with Dalindyebo in the future, as their relationship transcends political disagreements. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about his political views.”
The EFF previously introduced a motion in the National Assembly calling for the government to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa and suspend diplomatic relations. Malema criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration for inaction.
“Till today, Ramaphosa pretends to be fighting Israeli genocide, yet the Israeli embassy is still open against the parliamentary motion that has passed. The real action would be to close the Israeli embassy. We cannot share a territory and land with murderers and pretend on international platforms as if we are with the children and women of Palestine.”
TimesLIVE
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