By Nkululeko Dunga
It has been a decade since the EFF commander-in-chief Julius Malema declared that South Africa is pregnant with a giant.
Since then, the country’s political landscape has changed.
The organisation has proved to be the only hope South Africa has if it is to achieve true emancipation.
From its inception, the EFF’s mandate has been to fight for freedom until every grain of the soil of the country is liberated – there has been no ambiguity about this.
Although the 1994 moment came with political change, it remains a non-event because economically things remain the same.
Apartheid might have ended but the material conditions on the ground are unaltered – without economic freedom there is no real freedom, and this is revolutionary.
For a long time, South Africans were made to believe in the illusion of a better South Africa for all.
There was criticism around the formation of the party. The founding members were called names and their intentions questioned. The prophets of doom predicted the organisation would not last. They were so wrong.
The call for economic freedom continued to echo in all the corners of South Africa and beyond. In Gauteng, the organisation grew from 10% to 14% representation in the legislature, instrumental in dislodging the ANC from power in all the three metros – Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Many of the critics did not realise the people had seen through the lies of the governing party. People have lost their patience with corruption of the ANC – they need the EFF.
The EFF has called for the expropriation of land without compensation – fought against racism and white supremacy.
It has unapologetically fought for black people who are still on the margins of society. With each general election, the organisation continues to grow, as the third biggest party in SA.
The party has shown confidence in young people by deploying them to lead in their various constituencies; it understands the youth must be given a chance to shape the future.
In its 10 years of existence, it has been unwavering in speaking truth to power.
The EFF has remained true to its promise of fighting for the rights of the working class. It demonstrated that in its condemnation of Marikana massacre that this was not a symbolic gesture but a promise to fight for the workers.
The organisation fought for the insourcing of workers in the City of Joburg and in various universities such as Wits and Unisa through its student wing. Through its labour desk, the party has represented and supported workers’ protests.
The party is committed to fighting all social ills including the scourge of patriarchy and gender-based violence. It prides itself on the EFF-led women’s march from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg to the Constitutional Court.
The party has made serious interventions in uplifting communities throughout the country, and has done a lot without using state resources, and it is ready to govern. It has shown that the lack of service delivery is not because there are no resources but because there is no political will from the government. The party has exposed how corrupt the government is.
Through the vibrancy of the EFF, we saw the youth actively engaging in politics and acting to better the lives of their communities and has been consistent in its fight for economic freedom.
The truth is that it is deserving to claim this year “as a decade of an unbroken struggle”. The party has immense potential to grow stronger and this moment must be used to reflect how far it comes from and all the limitless possibilities of what it can achieve.
• Dunga is the Gauteng EFF chairperson
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