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Economic Freedom Fighters Ekonomiese Vryheidsvegters | |
|---|---|
| Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination | |
| Abbreviation | EFF |
| President | Julius Malema |
| Chairperson | Veronica Mente |
| Secretary-General | Marshall Dlamini |
| Founders | Julius Malema Floyd Shivambu |
| Founded | 26 July 2013 |
| Split from | African National Congress |
| Student wing | EFFSC |
| Political orientation | Anti-imperialism Marxism-Leninism |
| Website | |
| https://effonline.org | |
| Part of a series on |
| Communist parties |
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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a revolutionary anti-imperialist and Marxist-Leninist party in South Africa. According to its constitution, the EFF is striving for "socialism and economic emancipation in our lifetime" and subscribes to "the Marxist-Leninist and Fanonian schools of thought on its analysis of the state, imperialism, class and race contradictions in every society."[1] They promote policies such as the nationalization of strategic sectors of the economy, land expropriation without compensation, and free, quality education, healthcare, housing, and sanitation.[1][2]
In its mission statement, the EFF describes itself as having a progressive, internationalist outlook and that they believe the best contribution they can make in the national and international struggle against imperialism is to rid their country of imperialist domination.[2] The constitution states that the EFF's basic programme is "the complete overthrow of the neoliberal anti-black state as well as the bourgeoisie and all other exploiting classes, the establishment of the dictatorship of the people in place of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie and the triumph of socialism over capitalism."[1]
History[edit | edit source]
The formation of EFF was announced on 27 July, 2013 in Soweto and held its launch rally in October 2013 in Marikana. The party was formed by former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema and former ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu.[2][3]
Background[edit | edit source]
During the EFF co-founders' time in the ANC Youth League, the Youth League leadership had put out a call for the nationalization of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy, as well as other issues such as land expropriation without compensation (in contrast to the concept of willing-buyer willing-seller, ANC policy since 1994)[4] and free, quality education for all,[4] developing a slogan of "economic freedom in our lifetime."[5] The 2014 EFF book The Coming Revolution states that these calls drew "massive public attention, both in condemnation and sympathy."[3]:8 While they note that ordinary ANC members at the National General Council (NGC) endorsed these proposals,[6] and that the ANC partially embraced some aspects of such demands,[4] they describe that a bourgeois-aligned faction of the ANC began a process of isolating and expelling the Youth League's leadership via internal administrative processes, resulting in the eventual expulsion of Malema and suspension of Shivambu.[7] The EFF state in the 2014 book their view that "The decision to mobilise society outside the ANC was not an easy one, but it had to be considered because a faction that is keen on continuing with the neoliberal project, immensely and systemically corrupt, ideologically directionless and confused, has captured the ANC".[3]:32
Marikana massacre[edit | edit source]
The 2012 massacre of striking mineworkers in Marikana was another contributing factor to the formation of the EFF.[8] On 16 August 2012, the South African Police Service (SAPS) opened fire on a crowd of striking mineworkers at Marikana, killing 34 and leaving 78 seriously injured, with some miners' bodies also later found to have injuries from being run over by military police vans. Following the massacre, 250 of the miners were arrested.[9] Prior to this, the striking miners had called on Malema (by then already expelled from the ANC)[3]:44 to join their struggle. Following the massacre, Floyd Shivambu, Sindiso Magaqa, and Anda Bici met with mineworkers[3]:45 and later organized legal representation, lead by Dali Mpofu.[9] According to the website South African History Online, "Many mineworkers blamed the ANC for what had transpired, and turned to Malema, who had always championed their cause."[9] The Marikana massacre has been cited in an EFF statement as "the catalyst for the formation of the Economic Freedom Fighters."[10]
Founding[edit | edit source]
According to The Coming Revolution, although there had been calls for the group to form an organization to contest elections, "we refused to do so because we understood that an organisation should be founded by the people, not by ourselves as individuals" though people were making calls for an alternative platform on which to continue the struggle for economic freedom. The book states that on this basis, on 11 June 2013, the group issued "a clarion call to economic freedom fighters and all South Africans to stand up and be counted" presenting their observations about the political and economic situation at the time, giving their analysis of not only the ANC but also various other organizations and broad sections of society. They called on those interested to submit their contact details, writing, "we will be holding consultative forums and platforms across South Africa to discuss WHAT IS TO BE DONE?"[3]:52-5
The ensuing discussions covered the questions of whether they should remain inside or outside of the ANC trying to advocate for radical change in the ANC, whether they should form an independent organization to advocate economic freedom without aligning to any party, or whether they should form a political party and contest elections.[3]:57 On 11 July 2013, they announced that an absolute majority of those who responded said that Economic Freedom Fighters "should be a radical, Left, and anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist Movement with an internationalist outlook that should contest elections in South Africa" and that, therefore, they had constituted a provisional central command and would be holding consultative mass meetings and preparing to hold a "National Assembly On What Is To Be Done" at which matters such as resolving to found a movement that would contest elections, as well as a constitution and founding manifesto would be adopted. The decision to launch EFF as a political party was taken on 27 July 2013 and the 1200 delegates who attended the National Assembly joined the EFF and adopted the Constitution and the Founding Manifesto.[3]:61-9
Program[edit | edit source]
The EFF draws inspiration from the 1955 Freedom Charter.[2] The EFF's interpretation of the charter is that "South Africa indeed belongs to all who live in it, and ownership of South Africa’s economic resources and access to opportunities should reflect the country belonging to its people" including nationalization of strategic sectors and assets blended with a strong industrial policy to support social and economic development.[2]
Seven Non-Negotiable Cardinal Pillars[edit | edit source]
The EFF has seven non-negotiable cardinal pillars of economic emancipation:[1]
- Expropriation of South Africa’s land without compensation for equal redistribution in use.
- Nationalisation of mines, banks and other strategic sectors of the economy without compensation.
- Building state and government capacity, which will lead to abolishment of tenders.
- Free quality education, healthcare, housing, and sanitation.
- Massive protected industrial development to create millions of sustainable jobs, including the introduction of minimum wages in order to close the wage gap between the rich and poor, close the apartheid wage gap and promote rapid career paths for Africans in the workplace.
- Massive development of the African economy and advocating for a move from reconciliation to justice in the entire continent.
- Open, accountable, corrupt-free government and society without fear of victimisation by the state defence force, police and other agencies.
External links[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "EFF Constitution". Economic Freedom Fighters. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "About Us". Economic Freedom Fighters. Archived from the original on 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Janet Smith, Floyd Shivambu (Editor) (2014). The Coming Revolution. Jacana Media.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 “While the call for nationalisation of mines was an important pillar of our struggle for economic freedom, and a rallying call, the struggle for economic freedom was broadened to include other key demands and programmes. Amongst these was the call for land expropriation without compensation, a demand that was partially embraced in the ANC through a mitigated commitment of rejecting the willing-buyer willing-seller principle, which had been the ANC government’s policy position since 1994. In the ANC, no concrete and coherent policy perspective has been decided upon, despite the acknowledgement that the willing-buyer willing-seller methodology has not worked. It is of concern that the ANC, which calls itself the liberator of the people, fighting for over a century, with its activists killed, its leaders imprisoned, families separated, and people tortured, buys land from those who stole it, often through the application of brute force. It is a reality that the settlers who occupy more than 80% of South Africa’s land did not bring it with them from Europe, nor did they buy it from anyone, yet the so-called liberator of the people has at the core of its policy principles a programme to buy land from settlers (and their descendants) who occupy it today. Billions of rands have been spent by the ANC-led government buying land from colonial settlers. The struggle for economic freedom also encapsulated the demand for the provision of free, quality education for all until undergraduate level, because we understand and accept the reality that education is essential for economic freedom.”
Janet Smith, Floyd Shivambu (Editor) (2014). The Coming Revolution (pp. 9-10). Jacana Media. - ↑ “The Nelson Mandela generation of the ANC Youth League changed history and did everything in their power to ensure that the cause for struggle is never betrayed, nor compromised for anything below the sky. The founding generation dedicated their lives to the cause for freedom and were prepared to sacrifice their lives so that we can all live in freedom. Their battle cry was FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME, underpinned by the dedication to attain Freedom or Die. Our battle cry as this generation of youth is attainment of ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME. Like Nelson Mandela, we will do everything in our power to realise economic freedom in our lifetime.”
Janet Smith, Floyd Shivambu (Editor) (2014). The Coming Revolution (p. 12). Jacana Media. - ↑ “What was particularly noteworthy was that for the first time in its history the ANC has officially endorsed a resolution that says, “there was greater consensus on nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy”. This happened in the context whereby almost all members of the South African Cabinet and those deployed to various sectors of the economy and businessmen such as Cyril Ramaphosa argued against nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. Ordinary members of the ANC endorsed the resolution proposed by the ANC Youth League that mines and other strategic sectors of the economy should be nationalised.”
Janet Smith, Floyd Shivambu (Editor) (2014). The Coming Revolution (p. 16). Jacana Media. - ↑ “The fact the ANC Youth League was able to politically and ideologically persuade the ANC National General Council in December 2010 to establish greater consensus on the nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy, against attempts by the ANC leadership to suppress the debate internally, is one of the reasons why we were purged. [...] Of course the faction that is leading the ANC today will claim that the expulsion, suspension and ultimate dissolution of all ANC Youth League structures that fought for economic freedom in the ANC were due to ill-discipline and the sowing of division. The reality is that our ideological and political stand and capacity to persuade ANC structures on a more radical programme for economic transformation was a basis for our isolation and banishment.”
Janet Smith, Floyd Shivambu (Editor) (2014). The Coming Revolution (pp. 21-22). Jacana Media. - ↑ “Using narrative evidence and a comprehensive dataset of over two hundred thousand tweets by South African political elites that covers the period of 2009–20, we show that Marikana was a central motivating event in the formation of the EFF.”
Daniel de Kadt, Ada Johnson-Kanu, Melissa L. Sands (2023). State Violence, Party Formation, and Electoral Accountability: The Political Legacy of the Marikana Massacre. Cambridge University Press. - ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Marikana Massacre 16 August 2012" (2024-08-18). South African History Online. Archived from the original on 2025-03-08.
- ↑ “The Marikana Massacre stands as the catalyst for the formation of the Economic
Freedom Fighters. It was this bloodshed that ignited our mission, placing the workers
at the heart of our struggle. The EFF was born from the ashes of Marikana, with a vow
to never let the sacrifices of those miners be in vain. We stand firm in our commitment
to the memory of the Marikana miners. We will continue to fight for justice, for the
families of the fallen, and for the rights of all mineworkers who still suffer under the
yoke of capitalist exploitation.”
"EFF Statement on the 12th Anniversary of the Marikana Massacre" (2024-08-16). Economic Freedom Fighters. Archived from the original on 2025-03-08.