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Tag: Economic Freedom Fighters

  • Allow your successors to govern with all their force – Julius Malema tells former presidents

    Allow your successors to govern with all their force – Julius Malema tells former presidents

    The leader and founder of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has advised former African presidents to refrain from making the governance of their successors challenging.

    Speaking at a public dialogue organized by the pressure group AriseGhana in Accra on Tuesday, January 23, Mr Malema emphasized that former presidents should assume the role of statesmen, participating in state visits at home and avoiding engagement in opposition to their successors.

    He insisted that former presidents should not interfere in the affairs of ruling presidents and should be held accountable without involving themselves in any civilized democracy.

    “You have to ensure that democracy matures in such a manner in Africa, where the previous president does not make it his business to fight the current president, you must allow the new to lead with all their force because you were the same, it doesn’t mean you are perfect”.

    “No African leader, who is on retirement, should lead from the grave. They must all be like all other progressive former presidents who are statements at home, waiting for courtesy visits and consultations, and attending to other state functions. Those are the duties of former presidents because Africa must be stable, Africa must go through democracy at all times,” Mr Malema said.

    Mr Malema stressed the importance of allowing democracy to mature in Africa, where former presidents peacefully allow the new leaders to take charge.

    He urged them to be like other progressive former presidents who remain statesmen at home, participating in courtesy visits, consultations, and other state functions.

    Encouraging African leaders not to impose themselves beyond constitutional requirements, Malema highlighted the democratic principle of peacefully exiting when voted out of power.

    He called on all African leaders to leave office without resorting to military intervention, emphasizing that no one is born a leader, and political office should not be left with a coffin.

    “We call on all African leaders not to leave an office with a coffin. When the time comes for them to go they must leave without calling the army to to extend their term” he said at an event in Accra organised by Arise Ghana, titled, ‘A Day of Dialogue With Julius Malema.’

    “No one is born a leader. No one is a traditional leader in a political office. If you want to be a traditional leader, go and fight in your tribe for those types of issues. We don’t subscribe to people who want to leave a political office with a coffin,” he added.

  • South Africa: Opposition parties devising a pact to counter ruling party

    South Africa: Opposition parties devising a pact to counter ruling party

    South Africa’s primary opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), along with six other political parties, has announced their intention to engage in discussions to establish a pact aimed at removing the ANC from government in the upcoming elections next year.

    Notably absent from this group is the Economic Freedom Fighters, the country’s third largest political party, which holds a more progressive position compared to the ANC.

    The ANC, which played a pivotal role in the fight against apartheid and has held power for nearly three decades, has experienced a gradual decline in its level of support in recent years.

    In the last municipal elections held in 2021, which is the most recent nationwide vote, the ANC secured a vote share of less than 50%.

    The seven opposition parties hoping to agree on a pact have said in a joint statement that “the incumbent governing party is set to lose its majority when voters go to the polls next year”.

    Taking this into consideration, their objective is to present a cohesive and robust alliance that is characterized by stability, viability, and effectiveness. To achieve this, they have scheduled a two-day meeting next month to negotiate and finalize an agreement.

    However, the absence of the EFF, which garnered a 10% share in the 2019 general election, poses a significant challenge in their quest to secure over 50% of the votes in the upcoming elections.

  • Limit your movements to areas that are insecure – Ghana’s Mission in SA to Ghanaians

    Limit your movements to areas that are insecure – Ghana’s Mission in SA to Ghanaians

    As the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) prepare to hold a nationwide protest, the Ghana High Commission in South Africa has urged members of the Ghanaian community to exercise caution and limit their movements.

    In a circular, the High Commission warned Ghanaians to avoid mass gatherings and contact the police for assistance when required.

    The High Commission also encouraged members of the Ghanaian community to contact the Mission in case of emergency or any occurrences that affect them directly.

    South Africans are nervously awaiting a “national shutdown” Monday announced by the radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which wants the country to come to a standstill due to a number of grievances.

    Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, the third-largest party in Parliament, said South Africans are tired of rolling power cuts being implemented daily, corruption and unemployment among other issues.

    The party is demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa steps down because he is allegedly not running the country properly.

    “On the 20th of March, we have to shut down this country to show the whole world that we are concerned about the state of affairs. We can’t fold our arms,” Malema said in a video message on the weekend.

    He said the shutdown could be the beginning of an unstoppable revolution. The party has requested non-essential workers to remain home or join the protest.

    Ramaphosa warned Thursday that the EFF’s planned protests were not a mere shutdown but an attempt to overthrow the government.

    On Sunday, he informed parliament that 3,474 members of the South African National Defense Force have been deployed to support the police in the prevention and combating of crime and preservation of law and order.