EFF STATEMENT ON COALITION TALKS AND GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY PRESS BRIEFING

Thursday, 13 June 2024.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has been engaging different role players on constituting a stable government in South Africa following the 2024 General Elections which did not produce an outright winner. We have, since the official announcement of the final results, met with the leadership of the ANC, MKP, UDM, ATM, AL-JAMA-AH, and the PAC.

Our basis of engagements with all these political parties was based on the principle of constituting a stable parliament and govemment which will lead South Africa for the next 5 years.

CIC Julius Malema | Addresses EFF Press Conference | TAJ Hotel | Cape Town https://t.co/Yn05zO7Bjv

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) June 13, 2024

As we stated in the press conference we held at the IEC Results Operation Centre on the 1st of June 2024, our principles and pillars of negotiations and meetings with all political parties include the following;

1. Appreciation of the EFF 7 non-negotiable pillars for economic freedom in our lifetime.

2. Service delivery commitments with timelines, particularly on land, jobs, water, electricity, flushing toilets, and care for people with disabilities.

3. Anti-racism—meaning that whatever coalition is an outcome of EFF participation must not reinforce white supremacy and Afrikanerdom.

4. Anti-imperialism—meaning that whoever we partner with must not be a puppet or representation of the West's imperialist agenda and interests in South Africa.

5. Commitment to African common prosperity and development.

6. Publication of all the concrete agreements reached with coalition partners to avoid a perception that there are secret agreements.

7. Constant and honest engagement and reports to the people on the progress made on coalitions.

Despite our commitment to unite all opposition parties to completely remove the ANC from power since it was rejected by 59% of voters in South Africa, we did not and will never meet with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and all right-wing Oppenheimer funded political parties. These right-wing and neo liberal parties represent a reactionary, counter revolutionary, and neo-colonial agenda which seeks to protect the existing property relations in South Africa where the white minority continue to be the economic majority.

We report to South Africa that we do not have any concrete agreement with the ANC, which has said it will come back to us after the 2 official meetings we held with them. We are however aware that the ANC is finalising an agreement to work with the DA, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and other reactionary political parties. As we said before, the EFF will not participate in a government that includes right-wing and reactionary political parties.

The EFF will, however, participate in Parliament and Provincial Legislatures and will contest for the positions of Speakers, Deputy Speakers, and Chairpersons of Committees. These responsibilities are not a product of an elite pact, but an electoral outcome which has mandated us to be Members of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures.

We have communicated this decision and approach to the leadership of the ANC and all other political parties that we are engagement with. In relation to the province of KwaZulu Natal, the EFF is of a firm conviction that MK Party should be given the opportunity to lead the government of KwaZulu Natal, and we as the EFF will support all processes to constitute the legislature that is led and guided by MKP as the political party that received the highest number of votes in the province.