ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS STATEMENT ON RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

13 October 2016

The Economic Freedom Fighters notes the political developments taking place in South Africa over the last few weeks. We particularly take note of the ongoing #FeesMustFall and #FreeEducationNow Movements led by students across South Africa to demand free quality education at higher education level. The EFF also notes specifically the ongoing attempts of a faction in the ruling party to capture the National Treasury, collapse the State and undermine the basic democratic gains achieved with the attainment of political freedom in 1994.

We are here as the EFF to articulate definite and clear observations and decisions that will provide a long lasting way forward and solution to the crises defining South Africa today. As a revolutionary movement that truly represent the interests of the people of South Africa, we carry an obligation, to at all times, provide clear and decisive political direction whenever our country is under siege.

ON STATE CAPTURE

The EFF has on many occasions alerted South Africa to the reality that our country has been captured by a criminal syndicate, a family that works closely with the President of the ANC to manipulate the State for their own benefit. The Gupta family has captured the South African government through its total control of the President and key State owned companies for their own enrichment through corruption that has thus far not been acted upon.

The Gupta family has moved billions of Rands out of South Africa and enjoy control of key State companies such as ESKOM, SAA, TRANSNET, and SABC, and use these for their own narrow purposes. We are fully aware that the Public Protector is investigating the role of the Gupta family in South African economy and politics and will release a report, but we believe that the people of South Africa should develop a political programme to reject the Gupta capture and control of the President and key State institutions.

The recent charges against the Minister of Finance is part of the Guptas’ way of forcing the Minister of Finance into resignation so that they can deploy their own puppet into the ministry of Finance, and use it for continued looting of State resources. The Guptas and Mr. Jacob Zuma have realised that the Public Protector will expose their dodgy dealings and as part of their fight back plan, use the National Prosecutions Authority to charge the incumbent Minister of Finance, force him into resignation or reshuffle him with the aim of capturing National Treasury.

The EFF calls on the Minister of Finance to subject himself to the process in order to expose the evil intentions of the National Director of Public Prosecutions, who uses the National Prosecutions Authority for narrow political projects of the Guptas. We warn and caution the NDPP Shaun Abrahams that he will soon follow the route of his captured colleagues Advocates Jiba and Mrwebi. The NDPP Shaun Abrahams should immediately resign as NDPP because his prosecutorial decisions are not meant to find justice, but to pursue political interests of a Gupta led faction and criminal syndicate that runs South Africa.

The Guptas and Mr. Zuma (ZUPTAS) are primarily responsible for the irrational insistence on the Nuclear Build programme which will cost South Africa more than R1trillion. They insist on the Nuclear Build programme because they have already accepted a bribe from the Russians, and are currently forcing the State to implement this programme despite its unaffordability.

The recent announcement by ESKOM CEO and Gupta Agent Brian Molefe that ESKOM will implement the Nuclear Build programme is part of the corrupt insistence of the Gupta family to make corrupt gains out of the programme. The Guptas have already bought and listed a uranium company, which is positioning itself as a primary supplier of uranium to the Nuclear Build programme since Uranium is the central ingredient in nuclear construction.

The reality is that if the Nuclear Build programme goes ahead, South Africa will be deprived of all critical resources needed for basic services. South Africa will not be able to provide for basic services such as water, housing, sanitation, healthcare, roads, social protection grants and quality education if the Nuclear Build programme goes ahead.

The cost of the Nuclear Build programme is currently estimated at more than R1 trillion, which is the total budget of the South African government and if the construction of energy infrastructure that happened in the recent past is anything to go by, this amount of money might be doubled or tripled and therefore collapsing South Africa’s National Revenue Fund.

South Africa must be aware that every-time Jacob Zuma takes senseless political decisions, billions of Rands are lost to the South African economy, and his reckless decisions will lead to the collapse of South Africa’s currency. It should also be noted that shifting the Nuclear expenses to ESKOM does not mean that the State will not be responsible, because just recently, the South African government sold its stake in Vodacom in order to bail out ESKOM for R25 billion.

Every time Jacob Zuma takes irrational decisions, it is the poor and ordinary South Africans that suffer the most and now is the time the people of South Africa defend their country against a criminal syndicate running the State. If Zuma and Guptas are allowed to continue in the manner they have been doing, South African grannies will not be able to receive old age grants, children and people with disabilities will not be able to get their social grants, teachers, police and nurses will not receive their salaries, and all systems that take care of basic needs will be collapsed.

FREE EDUCATION

The EFF is fully and unapologetically behind all students’ struggles in all South African Universities and Universities of Technology for the provision of free quality education. The EFF’s principled stance on Free Education is premised on the fact that the South African government can afford free quality education. All students in the forefront of these struggles must never surrender no retreat in the struggle for free quality higher education.

We however want to categorically state that under the current government, free quality education will not be provided. This is evidenced by the fact that the inter-ministerial committee constituted by Mr. Zuma to respond to the genuine demand for free education includes the Ministries of Police, Intelligence and Defence, meaning that the only thing this government is prepared to give is violent suppression of legitimate and sensible demand for free education at higher education level.

The EFF once again calls on all students to neither surrender nor retreat in the struggle for free quality education. The EFF will unapologetically continue to provide logistical, political, moral and legal support to all activists who are involved in the struggle for the provision of free quality higher education.

The EFF is fully behind the programme of taking the struggle for free education to all the commanding heights of economic and political power in South Africa. We call on the police and all security forces to act with restraint because South Africa does not want to witness another Marikana massacre afflicted on students by the violent and murderous regime of the ANC. The police and all security forces must be aware that they stand to directly benefit from the struggle for free education and should therefore not take instructions that seek to suppress the genuine and legitimate demands for free education.

In this regard, the EFF will soon be tabling a proposal on how fee free education should be financed in South Africa, and this proposal will need the unwavering support of all sectors of society inclusive of workers, the corporate sector, civil society, students and government. There is money in South Africa to fund fee free education for all, and what is needed is the political will and determination of the political leadership.

IMMEDIATE WAY FORWARD:

As part of the struggle for FREE EDUCATION, DEFENCE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S DEMOCRACY AND AGAINST STATE CAPTURE, the EFF will lead a massive protest action in the City of Tshwane on the 2nd of November 2016. The EFF calls on all South Africans of all creed, from all religious backgrounds, all strata, and all races to unite in the struggle for FREE EDUCATION, DEFENCE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S DEMOCRACY AND AGAINST STATE CAPTURE. The people of South Africa must stand united against the ZUPTA NONSENSE, which is corruptly robbing South Africa of its needed scarce resources and failing to provide free education to deserving students.

The protest action on the 2nd of November 2016 will be unapologetically demanding the following;

1. The South African Government must provide free quality education at higher education from 2017 onwards.

2. Jacob Zuma must immediately step down as President and Head of State in South Africa.

3. Guptas must be disconnected from all State contracts and must immediately leave South Africa.

4. Shaun Abrahams, the NDPP of Zuma must immediately step down from the National Prosecutions Authority. 


The EFF has already submitted an application for a protest action in Tshwane and has been approved. On the 2nd of November, all South Africans must gather in Tshwane to protect South Africa’s hard won democracy and political freedom. South Africa we have to stand as one to DEFEND THE DEMOCRATIC STATE, and we have to reject all forms of degeneration led by a corrupt family that has captured Jacob Zuma and control key State institutions. We call on all sectors of society to rally behind the EFF efforts of saving South Africa’s democracy, which is being compromised by Mr. Jacob Zuma.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 13 October 2016