Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a Pan-Africanist political party and movement. It was founded in South Africa where its main party is head quartered. As an African movement it has inspired similarly named political parties in other African countries most notably Namibia and Zimbabwe. It has stated that its vision is a United States of Africa.
The EFF describes itself as
“a radical and Economic Emancipation Movement which brings together revolutionary, fearless, radical, and militant activists, workers’ movements, non-governmental organisations, community based organisations, lobby-groups under the need to pursue the struggle for economic emancipation”.
EFF FAQ July 2019
The EFF was founded by Julius Malema in 2013. Malema servers as the leader of the party in a position called Commander in Chief. Malema founded the party after he was expelled from the African National Congress.
The EFF is now one of South Africa’s largest political parties after the ANC and the Democratic Alliance.
Structure
The EFF consists of the following ogans:
- National People’s Assembly (elects the Central Command Team (CCT))
- Provincial Assembly which elects the Provincial Command Team (PCT)
- A Regional Assembly which elects the Regional Command Team (RCT)
- Branch General Assembly which elects the Branch Command Team (BCT). The branch is the basic unit of the party which every member belongs to.
The party’s Central Command currently consists of:
- President and Commander in Chief: Julius Malema
- Deputy President: Floyd Shivambu
- Secretary General: Godrich Ahmed Gardee
- Deputy Secretary General: Hlengiwe Mkhalipi
- Treasurer General: Dali Mpofu
- Treasurer General: Leigh-Ann Mathys
EFF Constitution
Download the EFF Constitution here.
EFF Ideology
The EFF draws inspiration from Marxist-Leninist and Fanonian schools of thought on its analysis of the State, imperialism and class contradictions in every society. The party has stated that:
Marx and Lenin are brilliant but we also know that they don’t know what it is to be BLACK! Frantz Fanon completes our experience and gave us BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS, the philosophy of liberation for black people.
EFF FAQ
The EFF has defined black people as:
Black people are those people who are by law and tradition politically, economically and socially discriminated against as a group and who see themselves as a unit in the struggle for liberation from white supremacy. In terms of this definition the black people in South Africa are those that come from the African communities, the so-called Coloured communities and so-called Indian communities
One of the EFF’s key agendas is Land expropriation without compensation.
Achievements
- Pay Back the Money Constitutional Case – The EFF’s “#PayBackTheMoney” campaign against Jacob Zuma’s corruption culminated in a court case whose judgment determined that The President had violated the Constitution of South Africa.
- Expropriation without compensation – In February 2019 Julius Malema brough the “land expropriation without compensation” motion to parliament and it was adopted with a 74% majority (241 votes for and 83 against).
