The rise and shift of Floyd Shivambu: From ANC Youth League to the MK Party
MK Party's Floyd Shivambu's timeline in his rise in politics.
Floyd Shivambu's political rise—from the African National Congress Youth League and the Economic Freedom Fighters to his high-profile shift to Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe Party—embodies the volatility and ambition driving South Africa's radical left, marked by bold moves, ideological pivots, and a relentless pursuit of power.
Here is a timeline of key events during his rise:
ANC Youth League: The Growing Years
Shivambu, who was born in Limpopo in 1983, started his political career as the president of the Student Representative Council at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Later, as a prominent speaker and political ally of then-leader Julius Malema, he became well-known across the country in the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).
Both Shivambu and Malema were dismissed from the ANC in 2012 after being disciplined for actions believed to be polarising and harmful to the party's leadership.
Economic Freedom Fighters: Dawn of a New Day
In 2013, Shivambu and Julius Malema co-founded the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), where he first served as Deputy President and later as a Member of Parliament.
They led the EFF to become a daring and unrepentantly extreme leftist movement that supported revolutionary measures including nationalising key industries and taking land without recompense.
The party's ideological foundation and quick rise in South Africa's political scene were greatly influenced by Shivambu.
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