Photo: DA / Twitter
Photo: DA / Twitter
Well, you don’t see this every day: Cyril Chuene, a well-known name within the EFF, has turned his back on the Red Berets this week – after he decided to defect and join the DA instead.
Who is Cyril Chuene?
The Mpumalanga-based politician has previously served as a district councillor and a provincial spokesperson for the EFF. He had worked his way up the ranks, but as of today, he will now represent the official opposition party.
Cyril Chuene certainly has a colourful background that’s worth catching up with: He has previously been arrested for calling on disadvantaged citizens to illegally occupy land, and was once sent to court to contest fraud charges in his name. However, despite his brushes with the law, Chuene has been incredibly active on the political scene.
Politician swaps EFF for DA
The switch from EFF to DA is practically unheard of, and certainly, it has never happened with such a high-profile member before. The parties are polar opposites when it comes to political policies. However, they have previously collaborated to run city metros, after forming coalition governments together in 2016.
In the past five years though, the parties that were once united against a Jacob Zuma presidency have headed down very different paths, as both have lurched further away from the common ground they once shared.
EFF defection: DA seniors laud political coup
Dean Macpherson, the shadow trade minister for the DA, has welcomed the new recruit to the party’s ranks – and he hopes that this dramatic defection will turn a few more heads in the run-up to the 2021 Local Elections.
Who knows, perhaps South African politics will introduce its own ‘transfer window’ before the vote in 2024?
The media are always willing to write about people leaving the DA, when do they write about people joining the DA? pic.twitter.com/rlDqEK9tDN
— Dean Macpherson (@DeanMacpherson) September 6, 2021
