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The first real test for the EFF is less than two months away, but unlike other breakaways all indications are that the party will, at the very least, double its 2014 take-home of seats in Parliament.
The party walked off with 25 seats in Parliament during its first election five years ago.
It is confident of doubling that figure and bringing with it new faces to the benches.
The face of the EFF is already significantly different to what it was when it first entered Parliament, with the likes of Andile Mngxitama, Mpho Ramakatsa, Lucky Twala and Magdalene Moonsamy gone.
With the exception of Moonsamy they all left within a year of joining the party due to leadership squabbles.
Last year a study claimed that the party had the highest turnover for MPs with an alleged 61% of them having resigned or been removed.
The party’s parliamentary list indicates that all 25 current MPs, seemingly with the exception of one Thembinkosi Rawula, will be returning.
Zolile Xalisa, while making the list, has fallen all the way to number 73.
The returnees include favourites such as Makoti “Mam” Khawula; Delisile Ngwenya, who had one of the most memorable responses to this year’s state of the nation address during the week of debate; Ntokozo Hlonyana, who famously turned the tables on Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Lechesa Tsenoli by calling him an anarchist; and even Marshall Dlamini, who infamously and allegedly averted an attempted assassination by slapping a police officer after the state of the nation address.
Other notifiable inclusions are Patrick Sindane, coming in at number 15, and Jossey Buthane, at 86.
Sindane, who is an MPL in the Gauteng legislature, was previously accused of being involved in a gang rape, an accusation he has denied, and was last year briefly suspended for allegedly assaulting a woman in Soweto.
The woman, who was his partner, later denied that the assault had taken place, resulting in his reinstatement.
Buthane, an MPL in the Limpopo legislature, has been arrested numerous times for public violence and assault.
Making good on promises to put young people at the front of the organisation, four young leaders got the call-up in the top 52 names on the list.
They include former Wits Fees Must Fall leader Vuyani Pambo, former University of Pretoria Fees Must Fall leader Naledi Chirwa and EFF Student Command leaders Peter Keetse and Phiwaba Madokwe.
Pop star Ringo Madlingozi, who has in recent times been seen at all EFF events and publicly endorsed the party, appears at 39, making his prospects of entering the National Assembly fairly high.
Many of these names will be the ones to keep an eye on when the party heads to its second elective conference, known as the National People’s Assembly, which is set to take place in December of this year.
