If the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have their way, those who have passed matriculation but were not employed or absorbed into the higher education system would be paid a monthly support grant.
This is among the commitments that EFF leader Julius Malema promised to scores of Durban University of Technology (DUT) students on Monday afternoon.
The gathering was part of the party’s activation campaign ahead of its manifesto launch, billed for Moses Mabhida on Saturday.
Give grant according to education
He slammed the R350 Social Distress Grant offered to unemployed South Africans, saying instead people should be granted a basic income grant based on their level of qualifications to improve the literacy rate in the country.
“You must get it according to your qualifications. Why must we get the same amount of money when we are not educated the same? We want you to go to school, and when you can’t get a job, the government must pay you for going to school. This will ensure that those who follow after you know that going to school pays,” said Malema to a loud applause from the student community.
The red berets hope to leverage their dominance in student elections at various campuses in KwaZulu-Natal towards their ambitious plan to win the province outright or be in a coalition government. The party’s student wing, known as the Student Command, has been in charge of DUT itself for six years running.
KZN targeted for new order
The ANC-aligned South African Student Congress (Sasco), like its mother body, has recorded an electoral decline over the years, with some campuses being wiped out completely.
Malema also used the gathering to promise that there will be a new government in the province after the 2024 elections, vowing to remove the ANC from power at all costs.
“Whatever happens, I can tell you now that the ANC will not be in KwaZulu-Natal. Prepare yourself for the people’s government, a caring government,” he said.
The EFF has made it known that it wants to receive 1 million new votes in the province. KZN is one of the provinces that will be closely watched ahead of the elections, with the IFP, DA, EFF, and the new ANC splinter grouping uMkhonto weSizwe party all vying for the ANC’s scalp.
