Johannesburg - The Economic Freedom Fighters is strengthening its regional and provincial structures ahead of the 2019 general elections as it looks to oust the governing African National Congress, the EFF said on Saturday.
The EFF is the third largest party in South Africa with 25 seats in parliament and already has working agreements with other opposition parties governing in major metros and other municipalities.
Speaking at the EFF headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg on the sidelines of the party's 13th "central command team" meeting to review its work since its inception four years ago, EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu said the party's election campaign would kick off in earnest at the beginning of 2018.
EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu speaks to journalists. Picture: Siphelele Dludla/ANA
"We are going to have concrete dates of all the regional people's assemblies (RPA) because a directive has been given to all provinces that all 52 regions must go... to elect their regional leadership so that we have got stability of leadership in all regions and all provinces," he said.
"[This is] because we are going to be starting the campaign work of elections from the beginning of January 2018 until the general elections in 2019. Currently we are going to give a clear framework of when the regions must go to their regional people's assemblies and all regions must go to their RPAs before the end of 2017."
EFF leader Julius Malema had delivered his political report including a directive that the EFF should "ready itself for government" and that the party was not planning for coalition government after the 2019 elections.
"The election machinery now, and the work of the organisation, is that we should win in all provinces. We are not planning to have limitations or shortfalls in any of the provinces. We are not planning to co-govern with any party in 2019," Shivambu said.
The EFF held its 13th "central command team" meeting this weekend. Picture: Siphelele Dludla/ANA
"We are putting maximum energy, even in the Western Cape which is run at 60 percent by the Democratic Alliance, even in Mpumalanga and Limpopo where the ruling party is safely at 70 percent, we are putting maximum energy so that the EFF emerges victorious."
He said the EFF had warned its structures to watch out for possible infiltration by "established capital" as the campaign was about to kick off.
"There is [a] constant attempt by established capital, particularly white monopoly capital, to try to reach to EFF leadership to try to capture and distort its agenda because when capital realised in the transition period from apartheid to democracy they captured a lot of ANC leaders into their pockets and changed the whole policy perspective of the ANC," Shivambu said.
"But we recommit as the EFF to the achievement of all our seven cardinal pillars which are centered on the nationalisation of mines, on land expropriation without compensation, on massive industrialisation, and on all critical interventions without compromise."
On a different note, Shivambu also wished South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela a speedy recovery as he battles prostate cancer.