Economic Freedom Fighters press statement

22 April, 2014

INTRODUCTION

Economic Freedom Fighters, the radical economic emancipation movement and vanguard of South Africa's protest movement takes this opportunity to address the people of South Africa and the world through this press conference. Accordingly, we welcome all members of the media who have heeded to our call and granted us audience.

As all of you know, the EFF is contesting the 2014 general elections, and remains one of the only two parties that are contesting each and every seat of the national parliament and all provincial legislatures in these elections. This speaks to the size and spread of the EFF elections campaign which spreads across all of South Africa because we are intending to run the country after the 7 May which is why we say we are government in waiting.

Since the successful national manifesto launch of the EFF in Tembisa commissars, fighters, volunteers and party agents of the EFF have been on the ground everywhere in the country to ensure electoral victory. However, there have been many developments in these heavily contested general elections that we believe we need to express ourselves on. This is because many South Africans, from the working class and poor, up to many who live in privileged sections of our society, take ideological and political direction from the EFF.

PROGRESS OF THE EFF ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN

EFF has held successful provincial elections rallies in eight provinces of South Africa where our people have shown support in numbers. We have also held many regional elections and grass-roots community meetings across the board under very difficult financial conditions. Most meetings of the EFF are organised without posters, adverts on newspapers, radio or television. We depend on door to door and pure word of mouth, yet the response of our people has been no less than humbling.

We have also managed to prepare our party agents who will be functional in 90% of South Africa's voting stations. We are more than ready to ensure that we translate the huge support we have received into a decisive victory. This is despite the limited resources that we have, from the challenges of lack of posters, t-shirts, to all other necessary material to run an elections campaign. This is why we salute EFF supporters everywhere who filled the stadiums in different provinces and regions of South Africa as they have demonstrated their commitment to the EFF as opposed to being mere victims of free parcels.

WELCOMING OF NACTU ELECTORAL SUPPORT

EFF is humbled by the electoral endorsement it has received from the revolutionary trade union federation, NACTU which is still genuinely committed to the interests of the workers in South Africa. NACTU has called on all workers to vote for the EFF simply because it recognises that of all parties standing in the 2014 general elections; only in the manifestos of the EFF and PAC are worker's interests safe and well represented. We salute their bravery and vow never to stand down until workers' demands are fully realised.

In the same breath, EFF reiterates its support of the striking workers in the platinum belt who are entering their 13th week in demand of a minimum wage of R12, 500. The platinum strike must be understood as a fight for human dignity that is long overdue for the mineworkers. The EFF leadership will visit the workers on the picket-lines; we further encourage all fighters in affected regions to continue supporting the strike by showing presence on the picket-lines with the workers.

POLITICAL INTOLERANCE AGAINST THE EFF

Since the Independent Electoral Commission declared a date of elections there has been an open attack on the Economic Freedom Fighters by hooligans of the ruling party. This is demonstrated by a clear and widespread campaign to disrupt the EFF meetings and destroy advertisement material from billboards to posters hanging in different parts of South Africa. What has become clear is that the EFF is the only party whose posters and billboards are an endangered species in these elections. The violent destructive political intolerance of ANC hooligans is directed only against the EFF.

EFF posters are violently removed and the ANC people paste their posters on top of the EFF posters with the clear intention to destruct the EFF message. The ruling party has said nothing to these acts, thus its silence must be read as an endorsement thereof. The EFF has taken all the instances of destruction of billboards and posters to the police. In addition, we will be filing complaints with the IEC.

In addition, the ANC has made it its business to follow the EFF everywhere to provoke and disrupt its meetings. InTokoza, EFF tents were petrol bombed together with our stage and sound system; in East London ANC members in full regalia disrupted the EFF community meeting by throwing stones at those who attended, resulting in the damage of cars and properties of surrounding homes. Still the ANC has kept silent which again is a clear indication of its endorsement of the coward war against EFF.

BANNING OF EFF ELECTIONS ADVERT BY THE SABC

This campaign to keep the EFF out of the public eye has now been adopted by the South African Broadcasting Cooperation, SABC. As part of the public broadcaster's constitutional duty to promote access to information to all South Africans, the SABC allocates free slots on radio and television to all contesting political parties. The EFF, as it is with all other parties standing in these elections, received its free slots, and accordingly submitted an advert to inform South Africans of its policies. This advert was supposed to have been aired on the 20 April, 2014 but was not, because the SABC has taken a decision to ban it.

The SABC wrongly and illegally banned this advert because of the EFF's decisive position shown in the advert that in an instance when it takes government it will physically destroy the undemocratically imposed eTolls on Gauteng motorists and commuters. The SABC refuses to air this advert arguing that it incites violence.

EFF has as a result launched an urgent complaint with Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) against the SABC decision. The EFF will take legal action against the SABC and will roll mass action on 29 April, 2013 until our advert is aired as its banning is a clear violation of the freedom of expression.

The banning of this advert is a clear indication of the ruling party's refusal for eTolls to be on the agenda of these elections. SABC, which reports to Luthuli house has acted in the interests of their wishes to suppress the fact that the ruling party imposed eTolls on South Africans. Nonetheless, we reiterate without any fear of contradiction that we shall physically destroy eTolls to allow South Africans to use their roads without paying any additional money to the tax they already give to government. The advert must be aired on SABC television to allow voters to know this so that they make an informed choice about who should govern, particularly in Gauteng.

Seemingly, eNCA has also joined the SABC in silencing the EFF. They too no longer cover EFF events. This is because the now clearly popular agenda of the EFF threatens their bourgeois elite viewers and owners. The noble goal of informing the voter is everywhere compromised with the exclusion of the EFF coverage.

FALSE REPORTS OF COALITION OF DA AND EFF

There are circulating reports which have found their way into some of the credible media that EFF is planning a coalition with the Democratic Alliance. These reports must be dismissed as mere desperate speculations in an attempt to defocus the EFF's objective of taking government, particularly in Gauteng. There are no talks of coalition with anyone because EFF has only one objective in these elections, and that is to win.

The DA remains the custodian party of white monopoly interests and the broader super exploitative system of capitalism. It represents everything that EFF opposes in the fundamental direction of South Africa's economy. Whoever is speaking to them on behalf of the EFF has no organisational mandate and will in due course be found wanting.

CALL FOR RESIGNATION OF IEC CHAIRPERSON

The EFF is part of the collective in the Multiparty Forum that has made an application for the removal of the IEC chairperson, Pansy Tlakula. The EFF reiterates that our elections cannot be presided over by a person who has been implicated in maladministration by two credible reports, the audit from finance as well as the Public protector. Pansy Tlakula must resign as chairperson of IEC to allow the IEC to function with the full confidence of the public without the shadow of her unlawful conduct and maladministration.

TSHELA THUPA RALLY

We are now entering the final lap and last push of our elections campaign with only 15 days left to the elections. As part of this final lap EFF will host another mother of all rallies where the poor shall have another festival to raise the victory flag of the economic emancipation movement in anticipation of the 7 May elections victory. This rally has been named Tshela Thupa because that is exactly what the EFF will be doing; it will give hidings to all standing on the way to govern. The Tshela Thupa Rally will therefore be held under the following details:

Date: 04 May, 2014
Time: 10h00
Venue: Lucas Moripe Stadium, Atteridgeville Pretoria

In addition, the final provincial elections rally will take place in Durban, KZN this weekend under the following details:

Date: 27, April, 2014
Time: 10h00
Venue: Glebelands Stadium, Umlazi (Next toGlebelands Hotel)

The EFF will also host a rally in Mitchell's Plain in Cape Town this weekend under the following details:

Date: 26 April, 2014
Time: 10h00
Venue: Lentegeur Sports Field, Mitchell's Plain

CONCLUSION

All fighters, commissars and volunteers are urged to make these days a resounding success. Furthermore, and in conclusion, a strong message must be sent to all who work day and night to disrupt the work of the EFF that we are not called fighters for nothing. We shall fight to the bitter end because we fear no one, and we shall not rest until our generational mission is realised, the mission of economic freedom in our lifetime; because this is the time for economic freedom. All fighters are called upon to ensure victory everywhere across the country. MayihlomeiHlasele, victory in certain.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, April 22 2014

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