JOHANNESBURG, Tuesday 4 February 2026 — Floyd Shivambu said his break with the Economic Freedom Fighters followed what he described as growing concerns over corruption linked to municipal tender systems, according to comments made in a recent podcast interview.
Shivambu, now leader of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, said he became disillusioned while serving as chairperson of the Governor’s Task Unit, where he claimed senior figures were unwilling to dismantle entrenched tender practices in local government.
Speaking on the King David Studio Podcast, Shivambu said he had issued both verbal and written instructions to municipalities to insource services and end outsourcing arrangements for functions such as security and cleaning.
He said those directives were not implemented and that companies operating under municipal security tenders were often connected to individuals with influence in local government structures.
“The people working with our tendering for security in the municipalities were themselves part of the same network,” Shivambu said in the interview, describing the situation as entrenched and difficult to reform.
He said the persistence of the tender system convinced him that corruption could not be addressed through internal advocacy alone, adding that the abolition of tenders was a core principle of the Mayibuye movement.
Shivambu argued that the state should build internal capacity to deliver services directly, including infrastructure development, facility management and security functions, rather than relying on private contractors.
He cited South Africa’s local manufacturing of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence, in his view, that the state has the technical ability to perform complex tasks when properly structured.
Shivambu also linked competition over tenders to political violence, saying disputes over access to contracts had contributed to killings in parts of the country.
Reflecting on consultations in rural areas, he said some residents had raised concerns about the effectiveness of current municipalities, comparing them unfavourably with earlier administrative systems that they believed had stronger local capacity.
Shivambu said his movement would continue to campaign for reforms aimed at strengthening state institutions and reducing reliance on tenders, which he described as a central driver of corruption in the public sector.