Actor-turned-politician Fana Mokoena, who just left the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has announced on social media that he is returning to acting.
Mokoena, 53, left the EFF on October 17, with a Parliament official telling HowSouth that speaker Thoko Didiza had received his resignation letter as an MP.
“We can confirm that the Speaker is in receipt of a letter of resignation from Mr Mokoena,” he said.
According to reports, Mokoena wrote his letter to party secretary-general Marshall Dlamini last week. This occurred before Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane could present her resignation letter.
Mkhwebane, the former Public Protector, resigned from the EFF the day before him. She also resigned as a Member of Parliament.
Mokoena was elected an EFF MP in 2014, and he now represents the party in the National Council of Provinces.
He joined the National Assembly in 2016 and served there until his departure in 2020.
He returned to Parliament in June of this year, following the general election on May 29.
He sat on the Portfolio Committees for Trade, Industry, Competition, and Sport, Arts, and Culture.
Mokoena and Mkhwebane are among the prominent figures who have recently departed the EFF. After that, many people joined the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
Why are many EFF members dump the party to join the MK party?
On October 22, IOL News stated that political observers blamed the wave of resignations from the EFF on a lack of creative political doctrine, escalating racial tensions, and inefficient government.
This came when Mokoena and Mkhwebane removed EFF’s crimson overalls.
Political analyst Theo Neethling of the University of the Free State’s department of political studies and governance suggested that some of the reasons for the departure could include a lack of commitment, constructive politics, and a failure to demonstrate any competence to manage.
Another political analyst, Goodenough Mashego, linked EFF members’ resignations to the party’s waning importance, claiming that the party abandoned its socialist leaning, allowing the MK Party to occupy the space and attract members.
Mashego stated that the departure of Mokoena and others indicates that the party is no longer the alternative left party that people have been seeking for, since the MK Party continues to draw members from underprivileged communities.
Following anticipation that he, too, may join the MK party, Mokoena took to X (previously known as Twitter) to declare that he will soon be seen on television screens.
I’m honored to be working with my good friends Desmond Dube and Warren Masemola again. Two of the most simmered artists in this proud land. Good brothers come together again. It’s always a blast. Salute pic.twitter.com/KT2KOQNmZR
— Fana Mokoena (@fanamokoena) October 22, 2024
“I’m honoured to be working with my good friends Desmond Dube and Warren Masemola again. Two of the most simmered artists in this proud land. Good brothers come together again. It’s always a blast. Salute,” he captioned the tweet.
His followers flocked to the comments section and lauded his move to return to acting, while others demanded clarity why he dumped the EFF.