Julius Malema called Floyd Shivambu a brother while Shivambu described it as a gangster relationship

Julius Malema has described his former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu as someone he regarded as a brother, while Shivambu has previously characterised their relationship in terms of a “gangster” dynamic, making the contrasting descriptions of their relationship the striking point in the resurfaced interview clip. Malema and Shivambu had worked together for years and helped establish the EFF, with Malema publicly describing their relationship as a brotherhood before Shivambu left the party in 2024 to join the MK Party. Shivambu subsequently said that the idea of their relationship being a brotherhood was not how he viewed it.

One thing the post leaves open is when Shivambu made the gangster remark, since the post does not say whether he said it before or after leaving the EFF. The post also does not say whether Malema has responded to that characterisation. Those details matter because they would explain how the relationship changed over time. Without them, the contrast rests on two statements made at different points.

People reacting to the post focused on the difference between the two descriptions, with some saying Shivambu’s account was more honest about how political alliances work. Others defended Malema, saying he may have genuinely seen the relationship as a brotherhood and that Shivambu’s view was his own. The reaction centred on the two men’s accounts rather than on confirmed facts about their relationship.

What has not been settled is whether either man has commented further on the descriptions since the clip resurfaced, or whether their public exchanges will continue. The clip itself does not establish what happened between them beyond the statements quoted. The public is waiting to see whether the dispute develops further.

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