Another Party, Same Old Story: Floyd Shivambu and the Futility of Political Recycling

South Africa doesn’t need yet another party led by a man who’s already been in three — it needs principled leadership, not careerist reinvention.

The announcement that Floyd Shivambu is “consulting” on the formation of a new political party comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the trajectory of South Africa’s opposition politics. It is a tired ritual now: an ambitious political figure falls out with their party of choice, and rather than retreating into civic life or finding meaningful ways to serve the public outside of formal politics, they reach for the most worn-out play in the book — start a new party. Package it in new colours, add a slogan that appeals to frustration and fatigue, and promise change while offering more of the same.

Shivambu’s path is emblematic of this trend. He rose through the ranks of the ANC Youth League, became the deputy president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), defected to the newly-minted uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party as secretary-general, and is now preparing to launch yet another political vehicle. It’s a personal odyssey that tells us less about ideology and more about ego; less about the public good and more about personal positioning. For someone who once declared joining MK the “best decision” of his life, the speed at which he has been discarded and now seeks to reinvent himself again is staggering, if not cynical.

This isn’t ideological evolution. It’s opportunism dressed up as revolution. The EFF positions itself as a pan-African socialist force, the MK party champions traditional authority and Zuma-aligned conservatism, and now Shivambu’s new project whatever it may be is likely to promise transformation while relying on the same recycled elite from the same ANC gene pool. When the same political personalities hop between parties like musical chairs, it becomes clear that ideology has long ceased to matter. What’s at play is proximity to power, not principle.

South Africans are increasingly recognising this churn for what it is: a game of palace politics played by a small, self-referential elite. Shivambu’s case is not isolated. The Independent Democrats, Congress of the People (COPE), Agang, and now MK: all borne out of breakaways, personal grievances, or factional fallouts have mostly ended in disappointment. In some cases, such as with COPE, parties collapsed under the weight of their own internal power struggles. In others, they faded away because they were never rooted in anything substantive. We are asked to believe that each new iteration represents something different, but the cast, script, and outcome remain depressingly familiar.

This endless proliferation of parties, driven not by ideology but by individual ambition, is not harmless. It has real and damaging consequences for our democracy. It fragments the vote, renders coalition governments unstable, and fosters mistrust in the entire political process. In municipalities across the country, governance has ground to a halt because minor parties, often with less than one percent of the vote, use their influence to extract concessions, block decision-making, and position themselves as kingmakers. And the public pays the price.

Moreover, the personalisation of politics is hollowing out public trust. Voters can see that many of these parties are little more than vanity projects, created to prolong political relevance or settle scores. As politics becomes more about personality and less about people, voters are understandably withdrawing. Turnout is declining. Apathy is growing. And for a country still trying to consolidate its democratic gains, this is dangerous terrain.

Yes, political plurality is a democratic right. Anyone can and should be able to form a party. But there is a difference between democratic openness and democratic dilution. When parties are created not out of conviction but convenience, not to build but to bargain, we must ask: who benefits? The answer is rarely the electorate.

Floyd Shivambu is not a political novice. He has had multiple chances to lead, to shape ideas, and to serve. He has been given platforms that few young politicians could dream of. What he has chosen to do with them and what he is choosing to do now speak volumes. Instead of building within, reforming from within, or stepping aside to make room for fresh leadership, he has opted for another rerun of the same playbook: me, again.

So, to answer Shivambu’s question to the nation, no, South Africa doesn’t need another party. It needs ethical leadership, fresh thinking, and a new generation of public servants who aren’t interested in playing musical chairs with the same broken promises. The time has come to say enough not just to Shivambu, but to the entire culture of political recycling that is bleeding the country of energy, focus, and hope.

We are not short on political parties. We are short on integrity.