South Africa’s political theatre is about to witness yet another dramatic act. On Friday, Nyiko Floyd Shivambu, the former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president and now convener of the Mayibuye Consultation Process, is set to unveil the outcomes of his nationwide consultations — an exercise that many believe will culminate in the launch of a new political party.

The event, scheduled for 5 September at a boutique hotel in Midrand, has been billed as “history making,” promising announcements that will reshape the country’s political trajectory. For Shivambu, this is more than just a media briefing; it is an attempt at political reinvention following a tumultuous exit from both the EFF and the short-lived flirtation with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.

The Fall and Rise of Floyd

Shivambu’s political story is one of sharp turns and bruising battles. Once Julius Malema’s most loyal lieutenant in the EFF, his departure earlier this year exposed deep fissures within the red berets. Tensions over leadership style, funding, and internal discipline reportedly made the relationship untenable. His brief association with the MK Party, seen as a platform for former president Jacob Zuma’s loyalists, also ended abruptly, with Shivambu publicly distancing himself from its internal chaos and lack of coherent policy direction.

Now, through Mayibuye, Shivambu is attempting to carve out a new ideological and organisational space — one that draws from liberation movement nostalgia but rebrands it for a generation frustrated by corruption, unemployment, and what he calls the “bankruptcy of existing political elites.”
Mayibuye’s Promise

The consultation process he spearheaded traversed provinces and communities, engaging traditional leaders, faith groups, workers, and young people. According to insiders, the emerging Mayibuye Movement will be grounded in three pillars: ethical leadership, a people-centered funding model that rejects corporate capture, and a redistributive economic vision.

“The idea is to build a political home for those disillusioned by both the ANC and the opposition parties that mimic neoliberalism,” one strategist close to the process told African Times. “Floyd wants Mayibuye to be radical, but disciplined — revolutionary, but ethical.”

Friday’s announcement is expected to detail not just the party’s values, but also its funding model — a key issue that dogged both the EFF and MK Party in their formative years.

A Crowded Political Field

But Shivambu’s gambit comes at a time when South Africa’s political landscape is already bursting at the seams. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), there are currently 544 registered political parties — a record number in the country’s democratic history. Many of them exist only on paper, but the mushrooming of new formations reflects growing disillusionment with established parties and the hunger for alternatives.

The challenge, however, is visibility and staying power. The electorate has shown a declining tolerance for personality-driven projects that collapse under the weight of egos, financial strain, or incoherent policy platforms. For every EFF that successfully disrupts Parliament, there are dozens of parties that barely make it past the ballot paper.

A Wounded ANC, a Fragmented Opposition

Shivambu’s timing is significant. The ANC is grappling with internal implosions, as seen this week in Limpopo, where provincial chairperson Stan Mathabatha stepped aside, citing “un-ANC tendencies.” The EFF, meanwhile, is still reeling from losing one of its key intellectual architects in Shivambu, raising questions about its ideological coherence without him. The MK Party, despite its dramatic debut in the 2024 elections, has been consumed by factionalism and credibility crises.

This fragmentation creates space — but also fierce competition — for any new entrant. Shivambu’s political gamble will be whether he can consolidate enough of the disgruntled electorate into a sustainable force rather than just another splinter.

The Floyd Factor

Love him or loathe him, Floyd Shivambu has always been more than just a fiery debater. He is a strategist, a prolific writer, and a keen student of political economy. His fingerprints are all over the EFF’s original radical economic agenda, from land expropriation without compensation to state-led industrialisation.

Analysts argue that Mayibuye’s biggest asset is Shivambu himself. “Floyd is intellectually sharper than most of his contemporaries. He understands both grassroots politics and policy detail,” said a political analyst at Wits University. “But his Achilles heel has always been organisation and temperament. If he cannot build structures that outlast his personal brand, Mayibuye risks becoming another fleeting experiment.”

What to Watch

As the countdown to Friday’s announcement continues, several questions loom: Will Mayibuye emerge as a fully-fledged political party or remain a movement in consultation? Can Shivambu attract credible leaders beyond his loyalists and prevent the new formation from being dismissed as a vanity project? How will it fund itself in a political environment where money often dictates survival? And most crucially, can it galvanise South Africa’s restless youth — the largest bloc of registered voters, but also the most disillusioned?

Friday may not provide all the answers, but it will mark the beginning of yet another chapter in South Africa’s ever-fracturing opposition politics. For Floyd Shivambu, it is a bid for relevance, redemption, and perhaps revenge.

What remains to be seen is whether the Mayibuye Movement will be the birth of a formidable force — or just another footnote in the long list of South Africa’s mushrooming parties.