ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS STATEMENT ON LEVEL1 ANNOUNCEMENT

Thursday, 17 September 2020

The Economic Freedom Fighters notes the announcement by Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa that as part of containing the spread of COVID-19, South Africa will loosen the lockdown regulations to level 1 regulations. The EFF will closely monitor Government's programmes and responses because almost everything they have said about COVID-19 does not seem to be a reflection of reality.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, South African Government's response has been less than satisfactory defined by non-disclosure of important data indicators such as the demographic profiles of those infected and/or died from COVID-19. Government and the ruling party used the pandemic and lockdown period as a period for massive looting of State resources, and there is not yet a believable effort to recover the millions of Rands lost due to COVID-19 response efforts.

The most vivid illustration about the Ramaphosa government since the lockdown due to COVID-19 is that it serves the interests of the white capitalist establishment. Instead of localisation of the key product and equipment needed to fight COVID-19, Ramaphosa's administration chose to prioritise tenderpreneurs who immorally looted State resources for personal benefit.

South African Government's economic response package, inclusive of the imaginary R500 billion, empty promises of a grant for unemployed people, and mishandling of the Unemployment Insurance Fund is a vivid illustration that this Government does not care about black people. With so much corruption underpinning this effort, it is now evident that the biggest beneficiaries of the whole effort are white people and companies.

We call on the people of South Africa to look after themselves until we remove the ANC from political power. The EFF will continue to prioritise the lives of the people because this administration has demonstrated that they only care about white capitalist interests.

We will soon be addressing EFF structures on what should be the programme towards the 2021 local government elections where we will evict this Kleptocracy from office.

Statement issued by the EFF, 17 September 2020