Afrika Mayibuye Movement (AMM) president Floyd Shivambu has explained the party’s official logo, describing it as a powerful symbol of intellectual struggle, unity and revolutionary action.
However, it bears a striking resemblance to that of his former party’s, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF).
The logo, a purple circle containing an African map, is inscribed with the words ‘Afrika Mayibuye’ at the top and ‘Movement’ at the bottom.
At its centre is a black clenched fist holding a ‘spear-pen, an emblem, according to Shivambu, designed to represent the transition from armed struggle to knowledge, information and strategic political action.
“The central and most distinctive symbol of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement logo shall be the spear-pen, representing the fusion of intellectual struggle and revolutionary action,” Shivambu said.
The spear-pen will also serve as the compulsory symbol across all AMM-affiliated bodies, including its youth, women’s, students’ and professional structures. According to Shivambu, this ensures visual unity, ideological continuity and symbolic coherence across the entire movement.
Conversely, the EFF logo contains a red star and a spear, both of which bear major symbolism within the party’s Marxist-Leninist and black nationalist ideologies.
The EFF logo’s features combine a historical emblem of international socialism (the red star) and an African nationalist symbol (the spear).
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono criticised the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) for approving Shivambu’s logo.
“It is funny that the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa accepted Shivambu’s party logo because it is hilariously similar to the logo of his former political home, EFF,” Chin’ono said.
He added that the design suggested either a lack of effort or a deliberate attempt to provoke.
“Whatever the case, it reflects poorly on a party trying to brand itself as fresh and original when it cannot even differentiate its own identity,” he said.
Shivambu denied the similarities of the logos.
“It does not look similar to the EFF’s… I conceptualised the EFF logo, so I know there is a difference,” he told EWN.
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