Dangerous EFF strategy

IT WAS Cyril Ramaphosa’s big moment. “South Africa is open for investment,” he proclaimed to tens of thousands of ANC members in the Eastern Cape. Ramaphosa, the new president of the ANC, was delivering the party’s January 8 speech, one that has been delivered every year since the ANC was formed. It aims to set out the vision for the coming year.

Job creation is a priority for the ruling party, and Ramaphosa correctly pointed out that we need foreign investment if we are to create work.

Just over two years ago H&M, the world’s second-biggest retail store, decided to do just that when it opened a store at the V&A Waterfront.

It has since opened close to 20 other stores in Cape Town, Durban and Richards Bay. According to news reports, it has created about 1 200 jobs so far.

Enter the Economic Freedom Fighters.

On Saturday, the same day Ramaphosa was telling the world that South Africa was open for investment, EFF members were trashing H&M stores in Johannesburg and Pretoria. There was also a protest in Cape Town. T HE EFF members were protesting against an ad that showed a black boy wearing a hoodie that read “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”

Julius Malema, EFF leader, denied the party had organised the protests, but he and his top leadership made it clear they had no issues with such action.

“We’ll never be told by any fool on how to fight against our oppression, particularly those who’ve never been at the picket lines. There’s no formula on how you should fight the oppressor: expect more action against all racists, individually and collectively, this year,” he said on Twitter.

Racism can never be condoned. But one has to question why EFF members targeted H&M, as well as the timing of the attack.

After all, they didn’t target Dove when the cosmetics company ran a racist ad campaign. And why did they wait until Saturday when, at least five days earlier, the company had already issued an apology?

We have to question whether it really was the start of a new strategy, as the party would have us believe, or whether it was a crude attempt to undermine Ramaphosa’s January 8 statement?

Either way, it was a dangerous strategy.