EFF lawlessness a timebomb

Julius Malema and his red beret brigade have made an explosive entrance into parliament. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs have already managed to put President Jacob Zuma and the ANC in the National Assembly on the back foot, consistently demanding answers from Zuma on when he will “pay back the money”, as recommended by the public protector.

However, the EFF’s penchant of resorting to anarchy and lawlessness when things don’t go its way is its Achilles heel.

Take, for instance, how the party encourages destitute people to occupy land illegally. In most cases, these unlawful acts have resulted in violent clashes with law enforcement agencies with the poorest of the poor, whose desperation the EFF is exploiting to advance its own agenda, on the receiving end. This week, the Ekurhuleni metro obtained an urgent interdict to stop the EFF from occupying vacant land and farms earmarked for RDP housing.

It was not the first time a municipality had approached the courts to stop land grabs by the EFF. Early this year, the City of Tshwane also obtained an interdict against the party to halt unlawful land occupation within their municipal boundaries.

The EFF has representation in parliament where its lawmakers have the opportunity to debate policies, including issues related to land.

Alternatively, if the party does not make headway in getting the desired outcome from debates in parliament and provincial legislatures, it has an opportunity to convince the electorate to endorse it and make it the governing party. The party can then implement its own policies. However, losing an election and resorting to lawlessness to have policies that did not win the support of voters implemented is not only criminal, but totally disrespects the wishes of the voting public.