EFF leader Julius Malema has laid down the law for the party’s ground forces who will be campaigning ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.
This as the party gets into high gear in preparation of what is billed to be the watershed polls since South Africa’s democratic breakthrough.
According to Malema, keeping a clean name and reputation in the minds of the electorate is going to be the key, and drunk behaviour is antithesis to a good campaign strategy.
Addressing Gauteng ground forces of the EFF at the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg, Malema said there will be no room for mediocrity and dropping the ball by those campaigning for the red berets at all levels.
Call for high discipline
He charged that high discipline will have to define the EFF’s campaign including among branch leaders and party volunteers who will engage on the charm offensive for votes.
And top of things not to do, he said, is to avoid those in love with alcohol from taking part in door-to-door campaigns.
“Do not campaign for the EFF under the influence of alcohol. Please stop drinking alcohol, please. We do not want drunkards in the EFF election campaign,” said Malema.
“Comrades, there are some drunkards that love the EFF, but you must know where to use them and that is not in the campaign. Do not allow them to canvass votes for us.
“Do not wear EFF regalia to the alcohol places. Do not go to the clubs, shebeens and take pictures holding a beer while wearing EFF regalia.
“The campaign has started and we will be everywhere. Mine is to prepare all of you for the coming electoral campaign war.”
He also pleaded with EFF campaigners to resist smoking while engaging potential voters.
EFF campaigners are also prohibited from being forceful when conducting door-to-door campaigns, as well as engaging in foul language and screaming matches with the voters.
Be clean and smell good
Furthermore, Malema called on EFF volunteers, activists and branch leaders to maintain high hygiene and to smell good during campaigning.
He said smelling armpits are among the leading turnoffs for the electorate, adding that campaigners who are enemies with water must stay far from the campaign.
“Always wear a clean EFF regalia. Do not go around smelling armpits. Imagine at your own house being subjected to smelling armpits from a door-to-door EFF ground force.
“A fighter must be clean and smell good at all times, because smelling good is a sign of self-love and self-respect.”
He added that EFF activists and ground forces will also have to desists from engaging in violent behaviour among themselves and against opposition parties.
“Fighters, do not disrupt meetings of other political parties or stop them from doing door-to-door [campaigns] in your ward.
“If we trust ourselves, allow the ANC to campaign and be rejected by the electorate on their own.
“Do not extort and threaten spaza shop owners to donate to the EFF campaign. Let anyone who donates to the EFF do so voluntarily, not because they are threatened.”
