EFF MP Thembinkosi Rawula resigns

EFF MP Thembinkosi Rawula has resigned from the party, leader Julius Malema announced in a media briefing on Wednesday.

Rawula recently accused the EFF leadership of using party millions to fund their expensive lifestyles. These allegations came just weeks after his exclusion from list of candidates who will be representing the party in parliament and provincial legislature after the May general elections.

“As of this morning, we have received a formal communication for the first time from one of those who are disgruntled with the democratic outcome of the list process in a form of a letter of resignation as a member of the EFF. We note this resignation. Good riddance,” said Malema.

Rawula confirmed his resignation saying he would have loved to have given the EFF time to expel him without following proper processes but that he chose not to.

“I would have wished to allow you airtime and express your emotional vents and make fool of yourself once more in public. Give you once more time to abuse your organizational power by expelling me without subjecting me to a due disciplinary process.

“In doing that, you would afford me more airtime to expose your political vigilantism and in the process take you to cleaners and demonstrate your immaturity and your political bankruptcy,” Rawula wrote on Facebook.

Rawula, who was sworn in as an MP in 2015, said he maintained the allegations and would not retract them unless Malema provided him with his audited financial statements for the past four years from Absa, Standard Bank and two from FNB.

In the allegations, which are said to be the last kick of a dying horse, Rawula claimed that Malema and Shivambu had allegedly taken more than R35m belonging to the party for personal use.

This money, according to Rawula, includes R25m the EFF gets from the National Assembly, R10m membership funds, R1.7m from councillors’ contributions, as well more than R400,000 contributions by the MPs.

Malema said that the claims did not make sense as they get money from parliament who would not continue to do so if the party’s financial standings were not in order.

“We reiterate that our financial standing as an organisation is at its best demonstrated by the fact that parliament, legislature and the IEC have all given EFF money for the past five years. This could only happen because our financial books always pass the scrutiny of independent auditors,” said Malema.