The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) unveiled their 2024 election manifesto at the (slightly empty) Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, on Saturday, 10 February 2024, focusing on job creation and ending load shedding. Here’s a breakdown of key points from the manifesto:
Land
– The EFF advocates for the expropriation of land without compensation for equal redistribution and state custodianship.
– They plan to reintroduce a motion to amend the constitution.
Jobs
The EFF aims to create millions of jobs by 2029 through various strategies:
- Establishing State-Owned Housing and Roads Companies to address infrastructure needs and create jobs.
- Creating a state-owned security company to employ security personnel in government facilities.
- Special economic zones in various regions with tax incentives for investors creating jobs and plans to revive and expand industrial zones in several areas.
They also propose specific minimum wages for various sectors to ensure fair pay.
Electricity supply
The EFF government promises to provide a secure electricity supply for the next 20 years, following successful models like China’s, to boost national sovereignty and sustainable economic growth. They plan to repair existing power generation infrastructure, adopt clean coal technologies, and reduce electricity demand from major users. They will subsidise sustainable energy for public institutions and households, invest in transmission capacity, and prioritise affordable electricity. Additionally, they aim to decarbonise the sector. They will involve the private sector in electricity generation through fair procurement processes to achieve these goals.
Education
The EFF government’s education plan is ambitious and comprehensive, aiming to revolutionise the educational system in South Africa. Here are the key points:
1. Free and Decolonized Education: The EFF government will introduce free education for all, with a curriculum that includes indigenous knowledge, sovereignty, and economic freedom.
2. Compulsory Education and Support: Parents must send their children to school, with criminalisation for non-compliance. The government will provide adequate sanitation, eradicate inappropriate school structures, and ensure access to early childhood development programs.
3. Technology and Indigenous Focus: Technology will be increased in teaching, with each learner receiving a tablet. The curriculum will prioritise indigenous ways of teaching and learning.
4. Infrastructure and Resources: The government will provide scholar transport, build hostels where necessary, and electrify all schools. It will also ensure access to nutritious meals, clean water, security, and school fencing.
5. Inclusivity and Accessibility: Specialised schools for autism will be built, schools will be made differently-abled friendly, and sanitary towels will be provided to all learners. Indigenous languages will be incorporated into the education system.
6. Higher Education: Free higher education will be provided until a first degree, with the cancellation of student debt and reintegration of excluded students. The government will also focus on vocational training and expand postgraduate funding.
Public Safety
The party recognises crime as a socio-economic issue and aims to eradicate it through economic development and job creation. They proposed amendments to the law, including a minimum sentence of 25 years for law enforcement officers convicted of serious crimes, as well as for individuals found guilty of pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officer. The party also advocates for a life sentence for those convicted of killing a member of a law enforcement agency.
To enhance law enforcement efforts, the EFF proposes the establishment of an annual day of joint operations between all law enforcement agencies, incentivising officers to arrest dangerous criminals and financially rewarding informers for valuable information. The party also plans to establish satellite police stations in every ward by 2029 and re-open police stations in various areas by 2027.
The party also intends to increase police visibility in all communities and employ 100,000 police officers by 2026.
Business Maverick editor Tim Cohen called the manifesto “illogical and factually inaccurate,” mentioning that the banking sector, for example, is one of the most transformed sectors in the country.
You can read the manifesto here.
Tshego is a writer and law student from Pretoria. A keen follower of social media trends, his interests include high fantasy media, politics, science, talk radio, reading and listening to music.
He is also probably one of the only people left who still play Pokemon Go.
