‘By-elections are waste of time, money’

BY-ELECTIONS are a waste of money, time and resources. This was why the EFF did not contest the recent Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 30 by-election, the party said yesterday.

EFF secretary-general and MP Godrich Gardee said they were instead focusing on “the main game”, which was to win the city from the ANC next year.

“We do not want to fall into this trap of vacancies being declared and we go there like scavengers looking for reserves from another party that has failed,” he said.

“By the time we get to next year when we need to win [more than 4 000] wards in the country, we would be tired and the money would be finished.”

Some of the party’s leaders are in King William’s Town this week preparing for what they believe will be a massive rally to honour black consciousness leader Steve Biko on Saturday.

Party leader Julius Malema is expected to address the rally.

Gardee said, unlike other parties, their strategy was not to have their leaders frequently visit the Bay to campaign in the lead-up to the elections.

Because they were focusing on workers, students and unemployed people, they had developed a plan around events targeting those groups.

“We came there on Workers’ Day focusing on the working class. Never before have you seen a party that gathered workers like we did in Nelson Mandela Bay,” he said.

“EFF is trending at universities because of the SRC elections.

“Even at NMMU you must watch this space. I am not going to give details, but our presence will be felt,” Gardee said.