The EFF statement on the Soweto upheavals
22 January 2015
The EFF notes the upheavals in Soweto over the past two days. While we abhore the shooting and killing of 14yr old Mthetheleli Siphiwe Mahori, we equally reject the wholesale looting and vandalizing of shops owned by fellow Africans in Soweto. We urge our people in Soweto to allow the police to investigate the murder of the young African and not take matters in their own hands.
While the murder is senseless and must be dealt with in the harshest terms, it is wrong for our people to take out their frustrations on all foreign brothers and sisters. But we also note that there are criminal elements who have taken advantage of the situation. We urge our people to identify such criminal elements and report them to the police. Africans must realize the need to start working together to make our continent more economically active and viable.
We understand the underlying frustrations of unemployment, poverty and inequality that our people live with everyday, but these must be put in context of the larger political crisis we are faced with in this country. In the EFF, we believe that a focused industrialization drive, equitable land distribution and a strong African economy would eliminate most of these frustrations. We understand that it is painful for our people to see non-South Africans thrive in their own communities while they themselves live in sub-standard conditions.
But let us be cognizant of the reality that the fault lies not with our African brothers and sisters, but with the neo-liberal and imperialist policies of the corrupt government of the ANC which continues to enrich themselves and their white monopoly capital cohorts. The ANC has forgotten our people while they enrich their friends through mines and other BEE deals. We salute Mama Winnie for her efforts in going to our people and calming them down. She is the only one in that corrupt ruling party who has remained true to her community, especially young people.
We also urge all our members to be exemplary in their communities and discourage these acts of looting and vandalisation. The EFF does not support this random action by rogue elements in the community as we do not see its long-term benefit.
Instead, our people should be engaging in the constructive protest action of occupying land, which has long term benefits for them and their children. We urge our people to follow in the footsteps of the people of Tshwane and Zamdela who decisively took action and occupied unoccupied land in their areas. This program is one of the comprehensive ways in which our people can go some way in alleviating poverty and inequality.
The EFF remains fearless in pursuing the eradication of poverty, the economic emancipation of our people through a socialist program and we shall overcome. We send our condolences to the family of Mthetheleli Mahori and the community at large, and we want to send a strong message to the people of Soweto that ECONOMIC FREEDOM WILL BE ATTAINED IN OUR LIFETIME. Salute
Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, January 23 2015
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