Johannesburg - The Economic Freedom Fighters is pulling out all the stops to woo young black professionals to vote and join the party, with promises that sector-specific bodies would be established for them after the elections.
Young black professionals ranging from lawyers, architects, engineers and doctors packed a hotel conference room in Sandton over the weekend. The venue, which was packed to the rafters, was clearly too small as the party had only anticipated about 300 people.
EFF national chairman Advocate Dali Mpofu and deputy president Floyd Shivambu heard how many black professionals felt undermined and underpaid in their professions, calling on the EFF to advocate for transformation in various sectors.
Many cited discrimination based on their colour and gender as hindering their progress in their respective professions.
Mpofu said many black professionals would be assisted to deal with discrimination and other challenges they faced in their professions through the establishment of sector specific bodies immediately after the elections.
“We know that in your various professions, you fight and conduct the struggle in different ways, but we are saying that we will be running one of the largest municipalities here in two weeks.
“We won’t fall into the trap of cadre deployment and you don’t have to be card carrying members of the EFF.
“We want the expertise of all South Africans, we want all your skills to run those metros that we will be running,” said Mpofu.
The party used the occasion to campaign for the elections and to criticise ANC policies. Mpofu was especially harsh on government’s National Development Plan, which has been adopted as the country development blueprint.
According to Mpofu, the NDP was based on the premise that the country’s economic growth should be at more than 5 percent, which was not attainable.
“If in 2010 to 2013 we had a required growth rate of 5.4 and we have failed to achieve it, it means by now four or five years later that the required growth rate even in relation to the National Development Plan is probably 7 or 8%, which is unachievable.”
“The governor of the Reserve Bank announced that we are now moving at the rate of 0%, it means the NDP is not workable,” said Mpofu.
According to Mpofu, the country was entering a new era of politics.
“At a political level we are going to be entering a new era of opposition politics, with hung councils around the country,” he said.
However, he also warned that there is likely to be resistance to change from the ruling party if it lost power in the metros or nationally, saying it had already displayed some of the characteristics of liberation movements that were resistant to change.
Shivambu told those gathered that it was embarrassing and disempowering that black people in South Africa could not even produce their own food, with most of the food products in South Africa being imported.
“It is because of the economic policies adopted by this government that we cannot even feed ourselves.
“As the EFF we are going to change all that. Why are we not producing our own food?
“The ANC speaks about R500 million dedicated to creating 100 black industrialists, yet one efficient dairy factory supplying 20 stores costs about R100 million rand.
“What are they talking about? This points to a directionless government,” said Shivambu.
Political Bureau