Malema and Shivambu stay in control of EFF, party to elect 35 members to its highest decision-making body next
The EFF will on Sunday elect 35 additional members to form the party's central command team, who will serve as its highest decision-making structure in between conferences.
This after the party's top 6 leadership was elected, uncontested late on Saturday evening.
The EFF is hosting its second national elective conference at Nasrec, Johannesburg, where more than 3 000 delegates elected new leadership to serve the party for the next five years.
Nominations for the top six took place just after 22:00 on Saturday.
Julius Malema retained his position as commander-in-chief, Floyd Shivambu remained his deputy, however, everyone else who previously served with the two got the chop.
Controversial Member of Parliament and head of the security unit known as the "defenders of the revolution" Marshall Dlamini was elected secretary-general; Mpumalanga's Poppy Mailola was elected as his deputy, while Veronica Mente from the Western Cape was elected national chairperson and newly appointed Member of Parliament and former party treasurer for Gauteng, Omphile Maotwe was elected, also uncontested, as the treasurer general.
Attempts by former national chairperson Dali Mpofu to contest for deputy president and Gauteng chairperson Mandisa Mashego for the secretary general position failed to meet the threshold after they had both been nominated.
Some party insiders have called this the beginning of the end, saying the slate, which had been backed by a lobby group dubbed "amatorokisi" was a sign that the EFF was actually Malema's very own ANC Youth League project.
Others, who had been part of the "amapiano" slate had argued that it was important to break Malema and Shivambu up and to do things differently from the ANC, which both leaders had previously belonged to.
"I honestly don't know anymore, I don't even care to caucus over additional members, they can do as they please," said one party member anonymously to News24.
The insider said after a day of tense lobbying there was a glimmer of hope that Mpofu's attempt to deepen democracy in the organisation would work, however, those who supported him did not manage to secure the required numbers.
The EFF will spend Sunday deliberating over its discussion documents, which will be adopted and presented at the plenary.
