South Africa’s EFF: A pro-freedom or anti-government organization?

Following the expulsion of its leader Julius Malema from the African National Congress in 2012 over alleged cases of misconduct, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) found their way into South Africa’s political standings and quickly became the third most popular political party in the country.

Influence

Founded by the expelled Malema in April 2013, the black nationalist party tagged itself as a liberalist party and portrays itself as the true custodian of the values the ANC espoused during the anti-apartheid struggle, while also promising to tackle corruption, provide quality social housing, and provide free primary healthcare and education for all, as well as proposing to expropriate white-owned farmland.

As an opposition party, the EFF has been active in exposing the inconsistencies in the governance and policies of the African National Congress and their primary opposition, the Democratic Alliance, which it claims have sold out the black people of South Africa to capitalism as cheap labor.

In August 2015, the EFF announced that it had secured a Constitutional Court case for its “#PayBackTheMoney” campaign, a campaign against the then president, Jacob Zuma, for his alleged lavish use of public funds to upgrade his house in Nkandla. The case was heard on February 9, 2016. The judgment was released by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and stated that the then-President had violated the Constitution of South Africa, along with the then Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete.

Again In 2018, the EFF Student Command, the party’s student wing, emerged first at several Student Representative Council elections, winning the African National Congress (ANC)-aligned South African Students Congress (SASCO) at the Durban University of Technology, the University of Zululand, and Mangosuthu University of Technology. They also emerged victorious on the Cape Town, District Six, Mowbray, and Bellville Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) campuses with landslide victories. President of the EFFSC, Peter Keetse, said the win was a warning shot for what was going to happen in the 2019 national general elections.

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Criticism

The party, in recent times, has been caught in a web of criticism from South African stakeholders and constituted authorities, who have accused them lately of championing anti-government activities. This has actually put their mandate in question as to whether they remain a pro-people organization or an anti-government organization.

For instance, nine EFF officials are currently facing punishment for uttering insulting and defamatory words about President Cyril Ramaphosa during a presidential budget speech in June 2022. The Powers and Privileges Committee of Parliament was charged with contempt of Parliament for calling the President a’money launderer’ and were found guilty after refusing to withdraw the remarks made.

Reports also emerged that EFF lawmakers have, on several occasions, interrupted parliamentary sittings and scuffled with security officials. In 2024, six EFF lawmakers were suspended from Parliament. The lawmakers had interrupted Ramaphosa during his 2023 speech at the house and were ordered out of the room by the speaker. But instead of leaving, the group, led by its president, Julius Malema, jumped onto the stage and held up signs calling for Ramaphosa to step down before security forced them out.

Though Malema and his deputy president, Floyd Shivambu, went to court to appeal their suspensions, when that was dismissed, they filed another case, seeking that the new parliamentary rules under which they were suspended be declared invalid. The Western Cape High Court dismissed that challenge too.

Other instances include clashing with police in an attempt to storm the Gauteng legislature and throwing stones during a speech by Zuma in Sharpville.

Some critics also believe that the EFF is relying on the visibility afforded by attacking the ruling party, the ANC, and displaying a show of protest near events of power, where the eyes of the media are easily fixed, rather than marching in the rural towns and disadvantaged suburbs where their message of economic redistribution and unfulfilled revolution carries the most influence.

But Economic Freedom Fighters have remained adamant against these criticisms, saying they will never be shaken off balance in their pursuit to emerge victorious at the coming May 29 general election. As the election draws nearer, many South Africans are now coming to terms with their movements and have vowed to support their move to gain power at the next general election.

“Today, as we speak, the EFF has a total of 1,085,843 (one million, eighty-five thousand, eight hundred and forty-three) paid-up members in good standing. We are even happier that we have exceeded the target by more than 85,000 members.” The EFF says it’s reached its target of one million members.

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