Floyd Shivambu Malema NPA charges

Floyd Shivambu, Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) / Image via Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica

First Malema, now Shivambu: Another EFF figure charged by the NPA

No-one can argue that Floyd Shivambu isn’t a great deputy to Julius Malema. Just hours after Juju was charged by the NPA, his right-hand followed suit.

Floyd Shivambu Malema NPA charges

Floyd Shivambu, Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) / Image via Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica

It hasn’t exactly been a red-letter day for the EFF on Wednesday. Julius Malema was hit with five separate charges related to his firing of a rifle in a public space last year. Just a few hours later, the NPA landed a double-whammy, bringing charges against Floyd Shivambu for his assault on a journalist in March 2018.

NPA: What Floyd Shivambu has been charged with

The deputy leader of the EFF saw red when he got into a scuffle with a press photographer outside of Parliament. Floyd Shivambu grabbed Adrian de Kock by the throat, in retaliation to the journalist asking him for comment while taking a picture. The politician pinned him against a wall before eventually walking off. Shivambu was filmed during his outburst by a number of media outlets in the Parliamentary precinct.

The assault charge will now be taken to court, and Floyd Shivambu will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s next Thursday morning, which is 5 December for those marking dates in their diary.

Who is the journalist Floyd Shivambu “assaulted”

The altercation has left Mr de Kock in a bit of a state. He’s revealed that he needed pain-killing injections and a course of physiotherapy to treat the injuries sustained in his back. Although Shivambu and the EFF did offer an apology, their statement made a flimsy excuse for the second-in-command’s actions.

Shivambu claims he was irked by the journalist because he was in a rush to get to a meeting. He didn’t want to stop and talk, and took things personally when de Kock continued with his enquiries. The courts have charged Malema’s deputy in the same week Juju and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi faced their own counts of assault, after allegedly striking a guard at the Winnie Mandela Memorial.

EFF Elective Conference shrouded in controversy

The problems continue to mount for Julius Malema ahead of the EFF’s Elective Conference in December. Not only is he facing a potential leadership challenge, but his recent comments threaten to cause factions in the party.

There is thought to be opposition against his plans to scrap the EFF Student Command, whereas other splinter groups are lobbying for a change in the Red Berets’ “Top Six” places.The assault charges – for both Julius and Floyd – are doing the party no favours, but the pair are confident they can clear their names.

Shivambu has yet to respond directly to the charges. He has instead used Wednesday afternoon to promote land expropriation without compensation on his Twitter page, ignoring the NPA’s devastating double-blow.