EFF leader Julius Malema says the overturning of the VAT hike was a turning point in the politics of South Africa, and especially parliamentary politics. (Photo: Sharon Seretlo / Gallo Images)
“Outgoing” Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema took the stage at his party’s third National People’s Assembly (NPA) at the Nasrec Conference Centre in Johannesburg to deliver a marathon political report on the state of the red berets in the aftermath of the party’s performance in the May elections and the exodus of several high-profile leaders.
On day two of the highly anticipated electoral conference, Malema’s address, which went on for over three-and-a-half hours, sought to highlight how the party has fared over the past five years, but most importantly for the EFF leader, to reaffirm what the under-fire party stands for.
“At this third National People’s Assembly, we are faced with a new moment, where the EFF experienced its first electoral decline and suffered unprecedented levels of sabotage and infiltration. It is for this reason that the theme for this NPA is to defend, rebuild and advance the struggle for economic freedom because, for the first time, the revolution is under genuine threat of disruption that risks delaying our freedom for generations to come,” Malema said.
The EFF leader’s comments come after the party secured only 9.52% of the vote in the national and provincial elections earlier this year, a 1.28% decline from the support in 2019. Following its showing in the May polls, key figures in the EFF, Floyd Shivambu, Busisiwe Makhwebane and Dali Mpofu, deserted the party and crossed the political aisle to join the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party.
After a year of turmoil for the EFF, Malema said that it was the party’s duty to rebuild economic emancipation and the electorate’s faith in the principle of economic freedom and justice, adding, “the EFF remains the most potent and viable weapon for the liberation of African people”.
Malema claimed that despite the party’s decline in the share of the vote during the national and provincial elections, the EFF remains “the most reliable vehicle to carry the baton of economic liberation of marginalised people forward”. This, Malema said, is what should shape all engagements during the NPA.
Reaffirming Marxist, Leninist and Fanonist roots
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ED_539331.jpg "The EFF leadership at the party’s third National People’s Assembly at Nasrec Expo in Johannesburg on 13 December 2024. (Photo: Sharon Seretlo / Gallo Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ED_539323.jpg "(From left) EFF leader Julius Malema and secretary-general Marshall Dlamini at the party’s third National People’s Assembly at Nasrec Expo in Johannesburg on 13 December 2024. The conference will elect a new leadership structure, including a new president, deputy president, secretary-general, deputy secretary-general, treasurer and a national chair. (Photo: Sharon Seretlo / Gallo Images)")
Much of Malema’s report focused on reminding NPA delegates of the key ideological tenets of the EFF, with a lecture on Marxism, Leninism and Fanonism.
He said Marxism (to analyse the class contradictions in SA), Leninism (to provide perspective on the role of the state and the purpose of forming a leftist organisation) and Fanonism (to appropriately characterise the impact of colonial conquest and racism) make up the guiding force for the EFF on its quest to defend, rebuild and advance the struggle for economic freedom.
By repeating the key tenets of the EFF’s ideology, Malema sought to remind them that the party’s enemy is capitalism, which their seven cardinal pillars seek to dismantle.
Malema went further to defend the EFF’s ideological stance against those who criticised him for being a dictator or authoritarian, and urged EFF members to remain steadfastly committed to the party’s core ideology.
“Our government of the EFF will see the destruction of all classes and the creation of [an] egalitarian society where all shall be free and equal and none will benefit at the expense of another… If you have a full grasp of our class struggle, the historical development and contemporary application, you will begin to appreciate Marxism as a tool of analysis and go on to explain it to our communities in their own languages,” Malema said.
Reorganising
One of the issues the delegates will deliberate on during the NPA is the structure of the EFF.
“We have diagnosed that we need to establish subregional structures and possibly do away with regional structures so that our organisation and its leaders emerge organically from inside and lead their own communities,” Malema said, adding that he feels strongly about the reorganisation of party structures.
The party has also proposed the establishment of an EFF Youth command, which would replace the student command, to appeal to all the youth of South Africa. DM