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2024 ELECTION MANIFESTO
THE EFF
PLAN OF ACTION ON HUMAN SETTLEMENT
HUMAN SETTLEMENT
1. The EFF government will provide quality, spacious houses with a minimum of 3 bedrooms to all the people. These houses will be located within sustainable human settlements with basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, schools, shopping complexes, sports and recreation grounds, and parks.
2. The EFF government will establish a social housing company in each province by 2026.
3. The EFF will amend the Social Housing Regulatory Agency (SHRA) beneficiary policy to include student accommodation as part of social housing by 2026.
4. The EFF government will amend the Social Housing Restructuring Zones to include previously white owned areas to promote full integration and social cohesion by 2026.
5. The EFF will develop and make public a centralised electronic housing beneficiary database for all municipalities by 2027 to eliminate fraud and corruption.
6. The EFF government will ensure that all private housing developments include mixed development for the benefit of the poor and middle class by 2026.
7. The EFF government will enforce the integration of smart technology in all housing developments by 2027.
8. The EFF government will create a fund for the development of income generating backrooms in all townships by 2027.
9. The EFF will repurpose the Housing Development Agency (HDA) into a fully-fledged state housing construction company to accelerate the delivery of houses by 2026.
10. The EFF government will establish an Informal Settlement Agency (ISA) for the rezoning and formalisation of all informal settlements by 2028.
11. The EFF government will re-zone all informal settlements by 2027.
12. The EFF government will put mechanisms in place to ensure that all public servants have houses.
13. The EFF government will subsidise housing finance for middle-income earners, including workers who earn minimum wage.
14. The EFF government will legislate for the reduction of 20- to 30-year housing loans to a maximum of ten years by 2027.
15. The EFF government will make it illegal for banks to repossess houses from people who have paid off 50% of their bonds and are unable to continue paying their bond instalments due to socioeconomic circumstances, by the
16. end of 2026.
The EFF government will make it illegal to use houses as surety for any loans from financial institutions, by 2026.
17. The EFF government will regulate the cost of rent on state-owned land.
18. The EFF government will make it illegal for residents to be evicted from private properties unless a suitable alternative is found for them.
19. The EFF government will pass a law to make it illegal to occupy a property that belongs to someone without permission.
20. The EFF government will ensure that access to a home is made an inalienable right in the Constitution.
21. The EFF government will do away with apartheid spatial planning and expropriate land without compensation closer to inner city centres to build sustainable housing for all.
22. The EFF government will create a housing access coordinating unit that involves national, provincial, and local government which will regularly report to the Presidency on progress with housing provision, the elimination of slums, and the provision of dignified sanitation.
23. The EFF government will ensure that the state improves the quality and size of low-cost houses through the state housing construction company.
24. The EFF government will ensure that the state regulates housing finance by providing housing finance that does not exceed a period of ten years.
25. The EFF government will guarantee integrated human settlements that will, in the real sense, be definitive of all settlements led by the state and that will be equipped with guaranteed bulk services such as water provision, electricity, sewerage systems, parks, and recreation facilities.
26. The EFF government will ensure that government-built houses meet the standards required to ensure ease of access for people with disabilities.
27. The EFF government will convert unused state buildings into affordable housing for the poor, offering people long-term, secured leaseholds to these buildings.
28. The EFF government will, through the state construction company, build state-owned houses and complexes which will be made available to people on a lease basis for a period of 99 years.
29. The EFF government will implement smart home technologies in all new state-built houses, ensuring energy efficiency and modern living standards.
30. The EFF government will introduce a program of putting solar panels in all homes by 2028.
31. The EFF government will develop a state-led urban vertical farming initiative within housing complexes to promote local food production and sustainable living.
32. The EFF government will create a digital platform for housing applications and allocations, streamlining the process and making it more transparent and accessible.
33. The EFF government will introduce a housing innovation fund to encourage the development of new housing technologies and solutions, focusing on sustainability and affordability.
34. The EFF government will launch a program for the development of modular and prefabricated homes, reducing construction time and cost while maintaining quality and durability.
35. The EFF government will mandate the inclusion of high-speed internet infrastructure in all new housing projects to ensure digital connectivity for all residents.
36. The EFF government will implement a community-based housing design approach, involving residents in the planning and design of their living spaces to ensure that housing meets the specific needs and cultural values of its inhabitants.
37. The EFF government will establish a national urban redevelopment initiative, focusing on the revitalization of dilapidated urban areas into sustainable and liveable communities, with mixed-use developments that combine housing, commerce, and recreation.
38. The EFF will assist municipalities where they govern to establish a housing company that will aggressively build social houses.
39. The EFF will convert all former hostels into family-friendly units, which are safe and habitable by all irrespective of
40. gender.
The EFF government will put services like water, electricity, and sanitation in all hostels.
41. The EFF government will put prepaid meters for water and electricity so that hostel dwellers who afford can pay for services.
42. The EFF government will develop technology that will link all social grant recipients to automatically qualify for free water
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and electricity through indigent policy.
43. The EFF government will ensure that all houses have flushing toilets by exploring onsite new sanitation technology, which do not require connecting to sewer lines.
PLAN OF ACTION ON WATER AND SANITATION
WATER AND SANITATION
WATER
1. The EFF government will ensure that all households have access to piped water inside their houses.
2. The EFF government will upgrade all aging and dysfunctional water infrastructure by 2026 after complete assessment of the state of the infrastructure in all municipalities.
3. The EFF government will ensure that all water services authorities (WSAs) and water service providers have water safety plans for ensuring provision of reliable and safe drinking water for all communities by 2025.
4. The EFF government will carry out regular water quality tests and evaluations across all municipalities so as to achieve excellent physical, chemical and microbiological water quality compliance.
5. The EFF government will ensure that were communities are supplied water through water tankers, a database of such tankers is kept and that water quality monitoring tests and evaluations are carried to ensure physical, chemical and microbiological water quality compliance.
6. The EFF government will ensure that all provinces have excellent performing drinking water systems by 2026.
7. The EFF government will ensure adequate treatment of drinking and wastewater by 2025.
8. The EFF government will ensure that all 144 Water Services Authorities that cover 958 water supply systems in the country are in an optimal state of performance by 2026.
9. The EFF government will review the institutional architecture of all water boards and introduce a national water board based on best practice in the industry for better coordination and integration of bulk water supply by 2026.
10. The EFF government will ensure water security in the provision of water for all South Africans by discontinuing private ownership of bulk water by 2025.
11. The EFF government will ensure that water beneficiation is implemented wherever feasible and revenue generated from such beneficiation is utilised to reduce the cost of supplying water to communities and industries.
12. The EFF government will ensure that all municipalities reduce non-revenue water through the implementation of close circuit management of water distribution networks in all municipalities by 2026.
13. The EFF government will make it compulsory for all municipalities to use IoT based technologies in water distribution networks to reduce non-revenue water and limit vandalism and theft of water infrastructure.
14. The EFF government will reform the legislative prescripts to ensure that bureaucratic hurdles are removed and allow greater use of public pension funds in the water sector.
15. The EFF government will discontinue private ownership of bulk water infrastructure and will ensure that each and every household, factory, farm, school, and public infrastructure has access to clean water by 2025.
16. The EFF government will invest in water and sanitation infrastructure, encompassing the construction of new water treatment plants, pipelines, and sanitation facilities by 2025.
17. The EFF government will ensure that drinking water systems in urban and rural areas perform well by 2026 and adequately capacitate the Department of Water and Sanitation so that it can adequately play its oversight role in the management of water resources.
18. The EFF government will combat corruption of water resources by 2025 and investigate the abuse of water by big industries through illegal connections.
19. The EFF government will improve the performance of drinking water systems in the Free State and Northern Cape by 2026.
20. The EFF government will ensure that Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape adhere to drinking water quality compliance by 2026.
21. The EFF government will bring an end to water supply disruptions in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and the Northern Cape by 2026.
22. The following areas which are currently experiencing severe water challenges, will be prioritized.
Eastern Cape
a) Amothole District Municipality
b) Sarah Baartman District Municipality
c) Nelson Mandela Bay District Municipality
d) OR Tambo District Municipality
e) Chris Hani District Municipality
f) Joe Gqabi District Municipality
g) Alfred Nzo District Municipality
Free State
a) Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality
b) Mangaung District Municipality
c) Lejweleputswa District Municipality
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d) Fezile Dabi District Municipality
e) Xhariep District Municipality
KwaZulu-Natal
a) eThekwini District Municipality
b) Ugu District Municipality
c) Msunduzi District Municipality
d) uMgungundlovu District Municipality
e) uThukela District Municipality
f) uMzinyathi District Municipality
g) Newcastle District Municipality
h) Amajuba District Municipality
i) Zululand District Municipality
k) uMkhanyakude District Municipality
k) Mhlathuze District Municipality
l) iLembe District Municipality
Limpopo
a) Waterberg District Municipality
b) Sekhukhune District Municipality
c) Vhembe District Municipality
d) Capricorn District Municipality
Mpumalanga
a) Western Highveld District Municipality
Limpopo
a) Frances Baard District Municipality
b) John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality
c) Namakwa District Municipality
d) Pixley ka Seme District Municipality
e) ZF Mgcawu District Municipality
North West
a) Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality
b) Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
c) Bojanala District Municipality
d) Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality
23. The EFF government will champion policies to encourage water conservation, involving public education campaigns and the adoption of water-saving technologies by 2025.
24. The EFF government will introduce stricter water quality regulations, which will include regular testing of water sources and the imposing of harsher penalties for industries that pollute water by 2026.
25. The EFF government will develop and launch a mobile application (app) that will enable communities to monitor water quality in their area and report on it, so as to identify contaminated sources by 2027.
26. The EFF government will develop water purification technologies that will improve water quality challenges faced by 2027.
27. The EFF government will actively pursue policies to help South Africa adapt to climate change impacts on water resources, implementing strategies to manage water scarcity during periods of drought.
28. The EFF government will fast track the transformation of historically established irrigation boards which supported farming amongst poor white farmers before democracy. The transformation will ensure access to water for previously disadvantages communities.
29. The EFF government will ensure that all reservoirs are completed and operational by 2026.
30. The EFF government will ensure that all municipalities spend all allocated water grants.
31. The EFF government will fund bulk water infrastructure projects.
32. The EFF government will repair all water treatment centres by 2027.
33. The EFF government will build a new water treatment facility in each province by 2027.
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34. The EFF government will employ 10,000 artisans to repair all leaks in the water infrastructure with the aim of reducing the amount of water lost by leaks to 10% of the current rate by 2026.
35. The EFF government will implement attenuation systems in our storm water network to limit the impact of flash flooding in urban and rural municipalities. By introducing other modular based water treatment technologies the attenuation network will also be used to supply water directly into municipal water distribution networks for industry an sanitation services.
36. The EFF government will ensure water sustainability for daily and industrial usage by building dams and large-scale water projects with the capacity to sustainably supply South Africa.
37. The EFF government will provide each South African with in-house hot running water by 2027.
38. The EFF government will build storm water drains in every street in South Africa by 2027.
39. The EFF government will decrease the processing time for water use licences to 45 days.
40. The EFF government will demolish all illegally constructed dams hindering the smooth flow of water to the rivers and impose punitive actions, such as revoking water use licences.
41. The EFF government will expand the number of water catchments to 10 by 2026.
42. The EFF government will establish an independent economic regulator to oversee all aspects of tariff determination throughout the entire water value chain in order to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability in these processes across the three spheres of government, and this will safeguard the consumer from being overcharged for water services.
43. The EFF government will initiate river clean-up projects, employing eco-friendly and technology-driven methods to restore and maintain the cleanliness and health of rivers.
44. The EFF government will undertake the cleaning of the Vaal River and will refurbish and expand the Gauteng sewer network to prevent sewer spillages.
45. The EFF government will increase South Africa’s Green Drop score to 80% by 2028.
46. The EFF government will establish Acid Mine Drainage Task Forces in provinces affected by acid mine water pollution.
SANITATION
1. The EFF government will ensure that each household has access to a flushing toilet connected to the sewerage, and will use onsite new sanitation technology where connection to sewer mainline is not practical.
2. The EFF government will develop data collection systems which will provide accurate reports on sanitation conditions across the country.
3. The EFF government will eradicate bucket toilets by the end of 2026.
5. The EFF government’s national wastewater treatment works entity will also have a mandate to invest in Research & Development for alternative wastewater treatment technology, and to provide training and capacity development for technicians.
6. The EFF government’s national wastewater treatment works entity will intervene in the current plants, technologies (concessions to Denel) and chemicals (a subsidiary of the national wastewater treatment works entity to have a mandate or division that invests in and distributes chemicals used for wastewater treatment) used for wastewater treatment to ensure that there are no monopolies.
7. The EFF government will connect each house to the sewage system by 2026.
8. The EFF government will ensure that all schools have flushing toilets by the end of 2025.
9. The EFF government will build on existing regulatory standards like the Blue Drop, Green Drop, and No Drop to enhance asset management practices in municipalities.
10. The EFF government will conduct a thorough assessment of 963 wastewater systems by 2025.
11. The EFF government will upgrade and rehabilitate the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) and the Temba Water Treatment Works so as to improve the quality of water in Hammanskraal.
12. The EFF government will deploy advanced IoT-based systems for real-time monitoring and management of sewer systems, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
13. The EFF government will implement smart drainage solutions using sensor technology to prevent flooding and improve water management, particularly in urban areas.
14. The EFF government will introduce IoT-based solutions to enhance waste management efficiency in urban areas, focusing on smart recycling systems and improved waste collection strategies.
15. The EFF government will establish a task force to conduct a detailed audit of all 162 landfill sites across municipalities by 2026 and ensure they all meet the minimum standard by 2028.
16. The EFF government will ensure that all landfills in South Africa have the necessary technological infrastructure to keep up-to-date records on the levels of landfill.
17. The EFF government will build a security fence around all landfills in South Africa before the end of 2026.
18. The EFF government will build an additional 18 landfills across all nine provinces by the end of 2027.
19. The EFF government will insource all hazardous waste collection in all provinces by 2027.
20. The EFF government will give Denel a concession to build waste compactors suitable for South African conditions and must start delivering waste compactors by the beginning of 2026 to provinces.
21. The EFF government will create 100,000 jobs for environmental scientists, waste management, health and safety officers, recycling and reuse specialists, education and outreach coordinators, and waste infrastructure maintenance technicians.
22. The EFF government will develop a centralized database leveraging AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to track all waste compactors in real-time. This system will enable efficient monitoring of waste compactor locations, operational status, and maintenance needs, ensuring optimized routes and schedules for waste collection, thereby improving overall waste management efficiency.
PLAN OF ACTION ON SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR
SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR
1. The EFF government will foster the transformation agenda across all arts disciplines, sporting codes, and economic spaces that remain predominantly white or untransformed within the value chain of the creative and cultural sector.
2. The EFF government will amend the constitution to allow the expropriation of intellectual property rights back to the original owners, empowering them to renegotiate new trade agreements.
3. The EFF government will review all contracts, including those signed prior to 1994, and will nullify any that are found to be exploitative and induced by colonial or apartheid tendencies, with the aim of redressing the past injustices suffered by sector participants.
4. The EFF government will replace Life Orientation with Sports, Arts and Culture as a subject that is all-encompassing, i.e., languages, sports, culture and life skills, throughout all levels of education.
5. The EFF government will build an arts and culture centre in the country by 2028.
6. The EFF government will only hire local artists for state events and encourage collaborations between up-and-coming artists and those already established.
7. The EFF government will commission local artists to paint and beautify government facilities and public spaces such as schools, hospitals, parks, and buildings.
8. The EFF government will allocate a minimum of 75% of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture’s budget to support and develop local artists.
9. The EFF government will hold monthly festivals in each district municipality, allowing local unknown artists to showcase their talents to the public.
10. The EFF government will establish a central database where all artists can publish their portfolios and be registered under the government central database for procurement of their services.
11. The EFF government will ensure that broadcasters pay artists and actors their royalties on time, including historical claims and repeats.
12. The EFF government will create incubator programs for artists to offer them training in various aspects of running a commercially sustainable creative business.
13. The EFF government will arrest anyone found selling pirated material and will also pass legislation for harsher sentences.
14. The EFF government will develop a central, transparent, and accessible system for artists to apply for funding and consolidate all government funding into one system to achieve maximum impact.
15. The EFF government will partner with institutions of higher learning and relevant SETAs to develop qualifications for sector practitioners who have been actively involved for longer than ten years as an alternative prerequisite to enrol for a degree or diploma in the absence of a matric certificate.
16. The EFF government will establish a directorate within the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, and employ creative industry practitioners on a monthly basis: to offer assistance with contract management and applications for grants, tax incentives, and infrastructure subsidies.
17. The EFF government will abolish tenders for festivals and will subsidize the hosting of festivals in each province annually.
18. The EFF will regulate content that promotes crime.
Music
19. The EFF government will nationalize the collection and distribution of royalties, curbing the scourge of artists not receiving their duly deserved royalties. This will be achieved through the replacement of the existing Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) for different rights regimes.
20. The EFF government will create an enabling environment by equipping all schools with musical instruments, as it is with sports facilities/infrastructure, so that children who want to learn to play musical instruments can start at an early age and grow into the professional players they desire to be.
21. The EFF government will deal decisively with payola and impose harsh sentences on those found to have participated in the act of paying bribes to radio DJs to play their music.
22. The EFF government will require radio stations to play a minimum of 85% African content by 2026.
23. The EFF government will establish a state non-profit music distribution and production company by 2026, which local artists can use to produce and distribute their music. This company will also provide legal services to artists to reclaim ownership of their material from record companies.
24. The EFF government will loan recording and musical equipment to artists on a partly subsidized fee or at lower rates than market rates by 2027.
25. The EFF government will require all advertisers to use 90% local music.
Film
The EFF government will build recording studios for artists in every municipality.
The EFF government will subsidize the distribution of local films by 2025.
The EFF government will require local film producers to only employ local actors by 2025.
The EFF government will encourage the incubation of emerging film production companies by any studio or company that wants to film in South Africa and provide incentives for such partnerships.
The EFF government will introduce seven more channels on the SABC, solely dedicated to airing South African and African TV series and movies by 2026.
Under the EFF government, all actors who have been with productions that have run over five years with the national broadcaster will further be eligible to own equity in those productions.
The EFF government will build theatres across the country and will also include the refurbishment of existing theatres. The EFF government will establish Film Offices in all provinces in order to develop and grow film industries.
The EFF government will create a state-owned film and production company to enable filmmakers who may not have resources but have viable creative ideas to produce their own films.
The EFF government will pass legislation for 80% of all adverts aired by public broadcasters to use local music, African artists, and actors, with a 50% minimum to be owned by women and the youth.
Creative and Cultural
36. The EFF government will establish a statutory body to regulate and professionalize the arts and culture industry by 2026.
37. The EFF government will introduce financial products and services unique to the arts and culture sector through its National Bank, creating easy accessibility to financial products and services for an industry often excluded and regarded as high risk.
38. The EFF government will find a befitting status to define creative and cultural practitioners as workers, providing them with the protection guaranteed by labour relations laws and a minimum wage for those contracted for longer periods, such as actors, radio, and TV presenters.
39. The EFF government will commission the writing of a proper history ofSouth Africa.
40. The EFF government will require art galleries to exhibit and sell a minimum of 90% locally produced art.
41. The EFF government will establish a fund to support all African writers, particularly women, by 2025.
42. The EFF government will turn the Pan South African Language Board into a chapter 9 institution in terms of the Constitution to support democracy with a budget to develop all indigenous languages.
43. The EFF government will develop criteria to be followed in the selection of books written and published by local authors to be procured and placed in libraries across the country.
44. The EFF government will build a community library in every ward by 2027.
45. The EFF government will work with artists to create programs for the fashion, photography, and design industries, etc., and will use existing schools and community centres infrastructure as places of training to offer various skills to the youth through extramural activities.
46. The EFF government will take creative arts practitioners with experience and place them in schools to develop the curriculum and to teach and peer review each other.
47. The EFF government will establish a creative arts marketing board to assist practitioners in marketing their work in Africa
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and globally.
The EFF government will encourage cross-border
48. programmes to promote cultural exchange through events and collaborations, infrastructure development, and sustainable, inclusive growth.
Heritage
49. The EFF government will remove apartheid statues and take them to a dedicated apartheid museum under the theme: ‘NEVER AGAIN’.
50. The EFF government will immediately change the National Anthem to the original Nkosi Sikelela I Afrika.
51. The EFF government will change the names of every road, natural attraction, building, or any other asset where the name has any direct or indirect link to the colonial or apartheid period by the end of 2029.
52. The EFF government will commission South African sculptors to build statues memorializing African and anti-colonial heroes, with 50% of all statues to be commissioned to be sculpted by women and the youth.
53. The EFF government will refurbish and revitalize all relevant museums and memorials in the country by 2029.
Sports
54. The EFF government will build three multi-purpose indoor sports facilities in each district municipality and five in each metropolitan municipality by 2029. Each facility will include gym equipment, an indoor pool, an indoor hall comprising six separate pitches for various sports, and shower facilities.
55. The EFF government will build outdoor gyms in each ward.
56. The EFF government will build a minimum of one park in each ward.
57. The EFF government will subsidize the broadcasting of all South Africa’s national sporting codes on the SABC.
58. The EFF government will immediately increase the game and training day salaries of all female sports teams representing the country by 200%.
59. The EFF government will require sporting codes to split their budgets equally between female and male teams by the end of 2025, starting with Banyana Banyana and Bafana Bafana.
60. The EFF government, collectively with other African countries including the BRICS countries, will identify a sporting game that is commonly played in Africa, develop it, regulate it, and promote it to be a continental game that is controlled by Africa.
PLAN OF ACTION ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
1. The EFF government will build telecommunication towers in all regions in South Africa and completely eliminate the lack of network in all communities, whether urban or rural.
2. The EFF government will ensure that all public service centres, such as hospitals, clinics, police stations, and schools, have high-speed and quality access to the internet.
3. The EFF government will roll out fibre across the country with the goal of universal internet access by 2029.
4. In the short to medium term, once elected, the EFF government will ensure strict lowering and standardisation of data costs from service providers.
5. The EFF government will establish a state-owned telecommunications company to ensure state-controlled and directed building of telecommunication infrastructure and maintenance.
6. The EFF government will conduct equitable and diversity-driven auctioning and allocation of spectrum to decrease the duopoly on spectrum by MTN and Vodacom.
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7. The EFF government will challenge the monopoly of private broadcasters, namely MultiChoice, over major sporting events and ensure there is stricter regulation of bidding for such rights, prioritising the public broadcaster.
8. The EFF government will establish a royalty structure for actors and actresses who appear in material that is utilised and re-utilised both in the public and private broadcast spheres, e.g., SABC, Mzansi Magic, Showmax, Netflix.
9. The EFF government will maximise the digitisation of the public broadcaster by ensuring innovative leadership and also re-utilising and exporting older content, while creating new content that will be diverse and appealing to domestic and international markets.
10. The EFF government will ensure stricter regulation of foreign streaming services, their pricing, and the content they make available to the domestic market and maximise revenue from foreign and private streaming services through service fees for presence in the South African market.
11. The EFF government will ensure the diversification of media ownership and transform the media.
12. A minimum of 50% of government advertisements will be spent on black-owned companies, particularly those owned by women and youth.
13. The EFF government will allocate spectrum in a manner that seeks to drive transformation of the communications sector, break the concentration of control, drive industrialisation, and prioritise state-owned companies which have the highest representation of black people, women, and the youth.
14. The EFF government will assist black, particularly black female-owned telecommunications companies to enter the market in partnership with the state.
15. The EFF government will immediately scrap all the debt of the South African Post Office (SAPO) and ensure the modernisation of SAPO towards digitisation and ensure the entity has the capacity to compete with its competitors.
16. The EFF government will ensure that all entities under the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies operate in state-owned buildings to avoid accruing debt from rental agreements with landlords.
17. The EFF government will ensure the Postbank plays a developmental role in ensuring the maximum participation of local communities and ensures the poorest of the poor have access to affordable financial services.
18. The EFF government will digitise government services across all Departments to allow easy and quick access to public services and reduce long, tedious paperwork and long queues.
19. Under the EFF government, all departments and state-owned entities will use the South African Post Office to host their emails.
20. The EFF government will centralise profiles of all South African citizens to ensure that the information is available to different state institutions to improve service delivery.
PLAN OF ACTION ON FINANCIAL SECTOR
FINANCIAL SECTOR
The South African Financial sector is the most untransformed sector of the economy, yet it’s the engine behind all other sectors of the economy. The main culprits which are not transformed are Banking, Insurance, asset management and private equity. This constrained capital in the hands of the few stifles growth and employment in the economy and renders white monopoly capital as the 3rd state. The only black participation in this sector is the PIC which owns less than 10% of these entities on behalf of the 80% black population. The other 90% of capital is held by the minority 7.3% white population of South Africa. This untransformed sector boasts only white owned banks like FNB , ABSA, Standard Bank , Nedbank, Investec, and Capitec.
In the banking sector:
1. The EFF government will nationalize the Reserve Bank and discontinue its private ownership to be in line with the more than 80% state owned central banks across the world.
2. The EFF government will create state owned banks in different sectors, including provincial and municipal state-owned banks, using the Post Bank and African Bank assets, and make the state bank the primary lender with affordable interest rates.
3. The EFF government will create a retail state owned bank, which will be built from the banking assets of African Bank.
4. The EFF government will create an agricultural state owned bank, which will be built from the banking assets and capacity of the Land Bank.
5. The EFF government will create a housing state-owned bank, which will be a new bank.
6. The EFF government will create a social assistance bank, which will be built from the assets and capacity of the Post Bank and SASSA distribution network.
7. The EFF government will create a state owned mining bank that will be capitalized by the more than R90bn mine rehabilitation fund that is currently unused.
8. The EFF Government will ensure that all government employees bank with the state owned bank and that their salaries are paid into the bank account of the state owned bank.
9. The EFF government will ensure that the more than R500bn invoice payments by the state are only paid through the state owned bank.
10. The EFF government will ensure that the more than R500bn salaries of state employees are paid through the state bank.
11. The EFF government will ensure that the more than R2trillion in taxes are banked with the newly formed state bank.
12. The EFF government will ensure that the more than R2,5trillion pensions with the PIC are banked in the newly formed state bank.
13. The EFF government will ensure that the more than R15bn per month social grants are paid through this state owned bank.
14. The EFF government will ensure that all mortgages and vehicle finance of all government employees are done through the newly formed state bank.
15. The EFF government will regulate and cap interest rates on unsecured lending(especially for the poor) and home loans.
16. Under the EFF government, a minimum of 50% from development finance institutions will benefit women and youth-owned and controlled businesses.
17. The EFF government will close down all illegal money lenders.
18. The EFF government will make it illegal for banks to repossess houses that have been paid 50% of the debt.
19. The EFF government will abolish the use of houses as surety with the banks.
20. The EFF government will abolish the free 3.5% margin offered by the reserve banks to banks in South Africa (Prime rate – Repo rate is always 3,5%). This will go a long way in making mortgages and vehicle finance affordable for all.
21. The EFF government will pass legislation for banks to report a racial breakdown of their lending, interest rates ,and the purpose for which the funds were used.
22. The EFF government will ensure that all banks executives and directors that were found by the competition commission to have colluded to weaken the rand are arrested and jailed. Additionally, all these financial institutions must pay back all the monies that they unduly profited at the expense of the masses.
23. The EFF government will prohibit the arbitrary closure of customer’s bank accounts and the refusal of banking services by banks without due process.
In the insurance sector:
24. The EFF government will form a state owned insurance company to transform insurance in South Africa.
25. The EFF government will ensure that all life and short term insurance of all government employees are processed through the newly formed insurance company.
26. The EFF government will ensure that all the funeral plans of all government employees are administered through the state owned insurance company.
27. The EFF government will ensure that all vehicle insurance of all government employees is administered through the newly formed Insurance company.
28. The EFF government will create a medical aid entity that will be state owned.
29. The EFF government will ensure that all citizens of South Africa particularly the black and the poor, have affordable medical aid through the state insurance company.
In the assets management sector:
30. The EFF government will establish a state owned asset management firm to manage all municipal pensions.
31. The EFF Government will ensure that all buildings under public works are insured under the state owned insurance company.
32. The EFF government will consolidate all National, Provincial, Municipal and state-owned companies assets under one asset manager and create the biggest balance sheet in the country.
33. The EFF government will consolidate all municipal pensions to be administered under the new state owned company.
34. The EFF government will increase the mandate of the Public Investment Company (PIC) to include businesses that make their money through the state.
35. The EFF government will amend the pensions funds act to increase investment in private equity for infrastructure development, Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) development, and land transformation.
36. The EFF government will ensure that 80% of all private retirement funds are administered and run by black owned entities. This will be done by giving retirement fund licenses to black owned entities.
37. The EFF government will abolish the clause in the pensions funds act that says once the spouse and the main beneficiary passes away, that pension now belongs to white owned pension funds. All pensions must trickle down from generation to generation.
38. The EFF government will open up access to pension and retirement fund management to black owned entities. The GEPF of South Africa handles more than R2,5 trillion of pensions of teachers , Nurses, and police. These pensioners are 80% black people.
39. The EFF government will ensure that all stockvel funds in all the banks must be administered by black professionals. We have enough educated young black people to manage these funds.
In the assets management sector:
40. The EFF government will force the Prudential authority to offer licenses to black owned insurance companies. All lives in all wards under the EFF will be insured by black owned insurance entities.
41. The EFF government will pass a special appropriation bill allocating R100bn to the sovereign Wealth fund in the 2025/26 budget.
42. The EFF government will pass a special appropriation bill to write off some debts in state owned companies and to convert the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) debt to equity.
43. The EFF Government will rebuild the old credit guarantee corporation CGIC that will allow purchase orders and invoices by the state to be insurable hence allowing for easy working capital financing from our new state bank. This is done in all countries in Latin America and in Europe and was done in south Africa during apartheid times.
44. The EFF government will ensure that newly employed graduates get preferential mortgage rates for their first homes through the newly formed state bank.
45. The EFF government will ensure that the missing middle of security guards, teachers, police, nurses obtain preferential rates from banks through the newly formed state bank.
46. The EFF government will break all barriers to entry for black people from accessing financial sector licenses from insurance, banking, asset management, private equity, venture capital, credit.
47. EFF government will change how these trustees of pension funds are interviewed.
48. The EFF government will make sure these trustees are interviewed live on television like we do with the JSC interviews.
49. The EFF government will ensure that elected members must reflect the demographics of the country.
50. The EFF government will ensure that the trustees work for the interest of the members who are 80% black and not in the interest of Stellenbosch.
Issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 10 February 2024. Full PDF can be read here.
