EFF celebrates as ‘fight to liberate the poor’ grinds on
Julius Malema waxes lyrical over his party’s growth and stability, ahead of fifth birthday festivities on Saturday
Five years in, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) reports growth and stability and on Saturday hosts their biggest rally yet. Commander-in-chief Julius Malema speaks to Daily Dispatch politics reporter Simthandile Ford about the party’s five-year journey and shares his views on the Eastern Cape.
It has been five years in the political space. How has the journey been?
It has been an exciting journey. When I think of where we started, when nobody wanted to associate with us. We were taboo. We had no funds for anything, we had serious financial challenges at a time we had to contest elections – in a few months. I was reminded of that time when I did door-to-door [visits]. People reminded us that we came to East London and invited them to the stadium but never came to fetch them. There was no money.
We had to negotiate with a few taxi drivers to transport people and promised to pay after elections. Some agreed, some did not. Look, these are just the memories we are reminded of that hold very special places in our hearts.
The EFF has been labelled as radical leftists [and] have emerged as electoral kingmakers in major cities including Pretoria and Johannesburg. How do you see this growth?
The EFF is growing nationally as evidenced by the recent Ipsos. We are projecting a 7% overall win – that makes us happy, because we are not decreasing instead, we are increasing. In the Eastern Cape particularly, the EFF is growing at an abnormal rate. We needed to come here to see it for ourselves and make some assessments. The recent Ipsos results have shown that the EFF is the only party that is growing. The DA is declining and you hear them for the first time casting doubt on Ipsos. We are the only ones that are not complaining because we are growing.
You have been in the EC almost a week. What are your observations of the province?
The ANC has neglected this province. It is unbelievable that this is the province of Nelson Mandela, the resting place of Mandela. We have been conducting community meetings since we got here. We got to see face-to-face the lack of service delivery, we got to hear the cases of corruption that people are telling us. There is no evidence of any plan to improve the lives of our people, there are no roads, no access to clean water. The condition of schools is deplorable.
What are your thoughts on the general governance of the city [East London]?
The people are tired of the corruption that is carried out by the city. The electricity tariffs of the city are just abnormal, people are under serious pressure. Listening to these Magogos you hear a simple science: In January they used to get a certain number of units and months later they get half of that. It is not difficult to see that the municipality has increased its electricity [tariffs] so that it could make enough revenue to remain a metro. There was no consideration for the poor. When we go back to parliament, we will sponsor a bill to have all those on social grants become automatic indigents and to benefit from the indigent policy of the municipality.
What is your message for EFF supporters as the party turns five and also where do you see the party in the next five years?
In the next five, the EFF will be the government of this country. What I want to say to the people who support the EFF, the people who vote for the EFF, is that this Saturday we are celebrating you. We are celebrating the people who trusted us at a time when no one wanted to be associated with us. We want to celebrate the poor people of this country and to assure them that the fight for economic freedom will continue.
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