Johannesburg - Agang SA lured members of the EFF in
Gauteng to defect with promises that they would be paid, the EFF claimed on
Wednesday.
"We are... aware that many of them defected because
they were promised payments for the work they will do in Agang SA,"
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a
statement.
He was responding to an Agang SA press conference on
Wednesday, when it welcomed more than a hundred former EFF members.
"This means they were bought by [Agang SA leader] Dr
Mamphela Ramphele with the money she got from the sweat and blood of
mineworkers and our mineral resources...," he said, referring to her
shareholdings in mining companies.
Agang SA could not immediately be reached to comment on
the claim.
Ndlozi said the defectors represented less than one
percent of the EFF's Gauteng support base.
"Indeed, many people will from time to time,
particularly in a democratic society, move from party to party. Thus, we wish
all those who left a farewell," he said.
Ndlozi said the EFF had not drawn attention to the
members it had recruited from other parties as it was not an
"attention-seeking" party.
"The EFF is only going to its third month since it
formed as a mass party, and it already boasts with programmes that have gained
popularity with the popular classes."
Members defect
Earlier, Agang SA said in a statement that more than a
hundred EFF members had defected to the party.
Former Gauteng EFF convenor Pule Matshitshe said the
defectors believed Ramphele could change South Africa for the better.
"We trust Dr Ramphele to lead our country and we
trust Agang SA to tackle corruption, poverty, and inequality," he said.
"We are proud to become members of Agang SA and we
urge all young and right-minded people across the country to join the
party."
Former EFF Gauteng co-ordinator Nozi Poswayo and 15 other
key members of the EFF's Gauteng structures were among those who joined Agang
SA.
Agang SA political director Moeketsi Mosola welcomed the
new members and said his party was going "from strength to strength".
"Young people across the country respect Dr
Ramphele's integrity and life-long fight for freedom. People from all walks of
life see that Agang SA is the only non-racial home for all South
Africans."
Mosola said the new members would be expected to work
hard in their structures.
The new recruits made a declaration of allegiance to
Ramphele and Agang SA.
