Floyd Shivambu, Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) / Image via Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica
Floyd Shivambu, Deputy President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) / Image via Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica
EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu and DA stalwart Athol Trollip got embroiled in an almighty spat on Thursday, after the two traded barbs over the latest exchange between Julius Malema and Helen Zille.
Juju has received a fair whack of criticism this week, after he spurned Zille’s invite to open a dialogue on their wildly-varied political viewpoints. The former Western Cape Premier now hosts a series of debates on her YouTube channel, and she’s even had Thuli Madonsela drop by in previous episodes.
Floyd Shivambu vs Athol Trollip: How it all kicked-off on Twitter
Trollip was all too happy to pile-in with the criticism. In a Tweet shared earlier this morning, the former mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay shared a clip of Malema from eight years ago, where he vowed to “take on” Zille.
Always flip flopping! That’s all that the EFF and it’s leader are really good at. https://t.co/MkZ7Xa3hJd
— Athol Trollip (@AtholT) October 3, 2019
Red corner, blue corner clash on social media
However, Shivambu brought his own selection of spices to the picnic. He was quick to troll his adversary by reminding him of the mayoral position he lost in Port Elizabeth last year – largely thanks to EFF agitation in the chambers. However, Malema’s right-hand-man also used a highly-contentious term in his stinging retort.
The EFF is also good at ejecting racist Mayors who are still hurt and will use every little opportunity to hit back. We are proud that we have cut the throat of whiteness and that’s not flip flopping: it’s REAL. https://t.co/5FAS2dllA1
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) October 3, 2019
Unfortunately, this frank exchange lead to one user – with a profile picture of the old apartheid flag, no less – calling Shivambu a monkey. The politician laughed the incident off, suggesting it was posted by Athol Trollip’s “other account”. Bloody hell, Floyd… that’s how defamation suits get started.
Floyd Shivambu, the EFF, and “cutting the throat of whiteness”
The term certainly has its history. Julius Malema, who was the first EFF representative to deliver the “throat-cutting” analogy, copped an overwhelming backlash when he first directed the phrase towards Trollip and the DA.
Malema escaped punishment for five complaints of hate speech received by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) back in March. The panel confirmed his remarks were “offensive”, but not tantamount to committing a crime. It now seems Floyd Shivambu is happy to pick up the torch from where the CIC left it.
