LEHLOHONOLO MASHIGO
According to Sigmund Freud’s developmental theory, at stage 5 of a human being’s development, they start to act on their impulses indirectly by focusing on activities such as building relationships, and any dysfunction at this stage could result in an inability to form healthy relationships as adults.
This is what the EFF will face in its political life as it turns 10 this year, in the median range of Freudian stage 5 of development, especially in its relationship with voting South Africans heading to the 2024 general election.
Founder and president Julius Malema took to the streets of Twitter, declaring unequivocally that it had been 10 years since giving black people a voice.
“Indeed, 10 years of unbroken struggle for economic freedom,” he said.
The EFF was founded after Malema was expelled as ANC Youth League president in 2013.
That year, speaking exclusively to The Star Malema envisaged a “forum” that would fight for social justice rather than reconciliation and resume an “onslaught against white male monopoly capital”.
He told this paper that he would support the expropriation of land without compensation and the nationalisation of the country’s mines, something the party has become famously synonymous with since its inception.
“We need a party that demands justice in this country, that will say we need the land that was taken from our people and we are not going to pay for it. A party that will say those who were victims of apartheid stand to benefit unashamedly and those who perpetuated apartheid must show remorse and behave in a manner that says they regret their conduct,” Malema said at the time.
With less than a decade under its belt, the party under the leadership of Malema was able to garner over 1.5 million votes, just under 11% of the national vote, gaining the position of being the third most represented party in Parliament.
In a celebratory tweet, the party’s account said: “In 2023, the EFF celebrates 10 years of being a voice of sanity and superior logic, with committed and disciplined fighters who continue fighting for the dignity of African people. It’s 10 years of unbroken struggle for economic freedom!”
In a subsequent tweet, the party stated that it would commemorate this occasion at the FNB stadium.
It seems the party is hitting some correct notes, as it recently announced that it had been able to recruit over a million new members into its ranks.
“We wish to thank all of our members for the hard work and dedication they exhibited in achieving the monumental task of recruiting 1 million verifiable and registered to vote members into the EFF,” read an EFF party statement.