EFF leader Julius Malema says the party is taking a dim view on calls for the establishment of more structures such as the Women’s Command.
This is because, he told journalists at the Nasrec Centre where the party is hosting its third national people’s assembly (NPA), some of these calls are sheer opportunism and careerism from some within the party.
Malema’s comments come amidst calls for the EFF to move with speed to establish a Women’s Command as resolved by the previous NPA in 2019.
This while there is another call for the formation of a Youth Command.
More than a third of delegates are women
Malema said there was no need to form a Women’s Command because the EFF was pro-women empowerment with its actions and this was demonstrated by the fact that 66% of delegates in its third NPA are women.
As for the Youth Command, he went on, probably the best way is to have it but disband the Students Command whose members should belong to the Youth Command.
But what the EFF should guard against doing, Malema warned, should be the temptation to “overburden” the party with too many sub-structures even when there is no need.
Malema says some of these calls represent opportunism
“I have observed some level of opportunism. So, when a person thinks we are not going to make it in the CCT (central command team) then they say ‘let us form a Youth Command’ and when they do not make, it they say ‘let us form a Women’s Command’ and now there is a call for a union,” complained Malema.
“Why should it be a decision of the EFF to form a union because a formation of a union is a decision of the workers. I am not a worker and I am not going to sit here and take a decision on behalf of the workers. The workers must take that decision to form a union and if it is a credible and legitimate union, itself will say we are ideologically aligned with the EFF because it represents what we stand for.
“You can see them, people are creating so many levels of leadership and fragmented structures everywhere. We are carrying the Student Command now ourselves because it cannot carry itself. Then we must form a Youth Command and carry it, with what? It creates unnecessary contestation.”
In favour of collapsing Student command into youth body
Malema said he was inclined to agree with the formation of the Youth Command but collapsing the Student Command into it and having young people who represent various strata such as students, unemployed and village youth reporting to a single centre called the Youth Command.
“Then there will be one centre where we know we go there if there are issues because with many structures you go asking for accountability they say ‘it is not us, it is that one’. We cannot overburden ourselves because there is uncontrollable political ambition from some quarters which cannot wait their turn.”
Rather strengthen regions and zones
Malema said another bunch of “staff riders” that the third NPA must deal with are regional leaders who are lazing around their whole term while out of touch with their communities.
The discussion document on this matter has proposed that the EFF rather focus on sub-regional or zonal structures where leaders will be known by their immediate communities.
Malema has on several occasions stated that he will personally argue for this proposal to pass for the strengthening of the party at foundational level.
