Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in KwaZulu-Natal have vowed to continue protesting at the Umhlathuze Municipality until three of their former members are removed from the council. The party asserts that these members were expelled two years ago but have remained in their positions.
On Monday, a large group of EFF supporters forcefully entered the municipality's offices, demanding that the seats be vacated to make way for current members of the party. The situation escalated, prompting police to intervene, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.
EFF KZN secretary, Nkululeko Ngubane, expressed frustration, stating that the party had been negotiating for two years to resolve the issue. "In two years, we have been negotiating what must happen because EFF has six councillors at Umhlathuze, voted by the people of Umhlathuze, and then three of them are not there," Ngubane explained.
He emphasized the party's commitment to defending the rights of its councillors, saying, "Remember, councillors serve organizations, so if you are tampering with councillors, you are tampering with the lives of the EFF, and we will defend it with our souls."