EFF changes tack as it plans power plays
The EFF entered the political stage in 2014 as a true disrupter, but what happens when the disrupter gets disrupted?
It is the time to do things differently in South African politics as the country recovers from a protracted period of governance failure, abuse of power and state capture.
The election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president has posed a challenge not just for the EFF but for all the opposition parties. Now these parties are working to reclaim lost ground, even as the ANC falters under Ramaphosa.
The EFF on Thursday embarked on a charm offensive, inviting senior journalists and editors to a briefing.
The briefing provided a peek into both the thinking of the party’s leadership, as well as its inner workings.
The EFF explained its stance on land, what it meant when it said it would “cut the throat of whiteness”, its looming political battles over healthcare and preparations for its national conference in December 2019.
EFF leader Julius Malema said his party worried about levels of crime, farm killings — of both workers and owners — and violence against women.
The party will now push for a ban on alcohol advertising.
It called the briefing after a slew of negative publicity, when it was described as “fascist” by a number of commentators.
This was an uncomfortable reality, which hit home with the fighters. Since its founding, the EFF has been a media darling.
The party was at the forefront of the fight inside Parliament against the excesses of the ANC-led government under Jacob Zuma
With the onset of a “new dawn”, the EFF’s relevance had to be checked and rechecked and a clear change of tack was on display on Thursday.
Love it or hate it, the party has played a significant role in the country’s body politic.
It placed land and inequality firmly on the national agenda, and it had a hand in dictating ANC policy on these matters.
It is clearly seeking to reclaim its space as “economic freedom fighters”, even as the governing party seeks to extinguish the EFF’s clout with its “radical economic transformation” mantra.
This encroaching was on display in Parliament on Tuesday, when Ramaphosa’s response to an EFF question on land was premised on the ANC’s adoption of the policy at its Nasrec conference.
This irked EFF MPs, whose party had for the past five years pushed the ANC to vote on the matter, without success.
In February, the EFF brought the motion on land to Parliament, forcing the ANC’s hand on the issue.
The EFF has vowed to table its own motion on the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank, after the ANC developed cold feet at the last minute.
Malema indicated on Thursday that his party was in its formative stages. Hence the iron discipline imposed by its central command, to prevent a Congress of the People-like implosion.
The EFF is once again positioning itself as a kingmaker ahead of the 2019 election. And this time, the DA will have a tougher time luring the party to its corner than in 2016.
Malema was clear that the EFF “is not married” to anyone and is available for courtship.
Evidence points clearly to an ANC-EFF working agreement.
Malema says South Africans should ensure the ANC does not get more than 50% in the 2019 poll, so that it “needs” the EFF.
Such an electoral outcome would ensure that the EFF would be able to force the ANC to expropriate land without compensation, as part of co-operation conditions.
While Malema described Ramaphosa as a “coward” over the land issue, he said the ANC would be forced to co-operate with the EFF on the matter, should it require the party’s share of the vote to govern.
Interestingly, Malema says if the DA is serious about winning Gauteng, it should field Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba as its premier candidate. The EFF feels Mashaba “is not a politician”, rather he is “practical” about getting the job done.
The EFF had doubts about Mashaba before agreeing on his candidacy for Johannesburg after the 2016 local elections.
Mashaba’s tenure is an example of the EFF’s influence in councils in which it sits.
The EFF convinced the former businessman to insource security workers. Despite its initial opposition to Mashaba, the EFF and the mayor appear to be working well in the city, with the EFF directing key policy decisions.
Malema says his party has also reached out to newly formed labour federation, the South African Federation of Trade Unions, led by former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, but has received a cool reception.
The party is set to play a key role in 2019 and is targeting the North West and Limpopo.
Its kingmaker role in Gauteng will likely deepen its influence.
Despite “Ramaphoria”, the EFF is likely to remain a force for some time to come.