Why South Africans Want The EFF To Fight Their Battles But Won’t Put It Into Power: A Commentary

Academics and political enthusiasts alike are cracking their heads writing papers on and giving (sometimes not-so-correct) predictions over the coming 2024 South African General Elections. Over the last decade, elections in South Africa, whether National or Local Government, have exposed a disheartening trend: there is a decline in voter turnout. In fact, this phenomenon of eligible voters employing ‘silent voting’ has become common in the SADC region and one might argue, throughout the continent. 

This body of work focuses on the growth of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) or rather its lack thereof. Perhaps we can liken this to how Kaiser Chiefs fills up NFB stadium now and then but never wins? I do not believe the party’s history and roots narration is necessary but I do want to point out that there was some level of skepticism about its long-term survival owing to the belief that there was no room for the party’s ideologies and principles in the Rainbow Nation. 

A study of election results since the EFF has come into existence reveals a 4.45% increase in votes which translated to 19 more seats in Parliament for the party. I would not be doing due diligence if I did not mention that this party has so far only contested in 2 General Elections in the country, in 2014 and in 2019. 

Whilst all these figures can be interpreted as impressive, I personally believe the party could be performing much better given both the time in between elections and the very tactful and controversial strategies they’ve introduced to the South African political landscape. 

Regarding my first point, 5 years is a long time to sway [more] people to your favour given the famous “a week is a long time in politics” idiom. The party has managed to strategically position itself as the go-to whenever matters of race and discrimination on that basis arise, this is a stance that many other parties do not have the luxury to publicly claim for a number of reasons. 

These reasons, some rational and some not-so-much, range from already well-established political parties being unable to risk losing votes due to 'offending' certain constituencies; newly-established parties whose premature launching has become a daily bread in South African politics and who do not outrightly outline their common stance on this very sensitive matter for fear of compromising on votes from certain groupings OR the very interesting belief that there are bigger concerns than race i.e. poverty, crime and lack of service delivery which often unfortunately completely disregards the possibility of the direct link between race and class (and all the above) in the country. 

The EFF has also managed to evoke curiosity amongst the youth regarding Parliament functions which can be seen through a high viewership during Parliament debates and discussions of 'hot topics', this interest is due to the party’s unique manner in conducting itself in Parliament. Perhaps it is this that stunts the party’s growth and limits people’s faith in their ability to usher citizens to the promised land. 

The party’s volatility and its often undiplomatic utterances regarding both domestic and International Relations matters present some limitations for the party and could be one of the reasons why people believe in parts of its vision but do not trust it enough to put it into power. 

Recently, the party celebrated 10 Years of its existence and as is the norm, it was in the news shortly before and after. It seemed its ward councilors, Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) were tasked with ensuring party members from their respective constituencies were all in attendance and that all reasonable means would be made to ensure this happened. 

When this did not materialize from all of its branches, what resembled a witch-hunt was launched to correct the error. Implicated individuals, both in lower and higher ranks, were called to publicly account for their actions or their lack thereof. Considering that the elections are just a few months away, this could be interpreted as a strategic response for the party to present itself as the perfect alternative to the ANC which has internally been calling for self-correction and self-renewal, one might argue, since the dawn of democracy. 

The average person on the street can (mis)interpret this public call for transparency and accountability in the EFF as the solution the country has been waiting for although in all honesty and in true political style, it would most likely be nothing more than a political smokescreen. 

While the party seems to say and do all the right things that appeal to the youth of this country and some parts of the SADC region which renders a vote regression unlikely, it is unclear if the party’s tactics are enough for it to see another 4.45% increase in vote share in the upcoming elections. 

Arguably, the party has made some notable strides that modern day parties in the country have not made, for example there is a similar and maybe even duplication of the EFF in Namibia which is called the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) with very strong links to the South African EFF and interestingly their histories are similar too. 

In a different political arena that perfectly accommodated, promoted and implemented the philosophy of African Renaissance, this move would have garnered more votes and trust in the party as its growth has managed to go beyond our borders. Instead, given the scarcity of resources in the country which often leads to resistance and action that (mis)presents itself as xenophobia, South Africans are not (yet) ready for brotherhood in this magnitude. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not, in any way, affiliated with this political party nor should this piece be misinterpreted to mean I am canvassing for the party. This is a piece that I have written in my own personal capacity and it does not represent the views of any organization or persons that I am associated with, in any capacity. 

PS: For the purposes of my work, ‘silent voting’ means that eligible voters actively choosing to not exercise their right to vote is a vote on its own. I would like to convince myself it is a term I am introducing to the world although dissenting views are allowed.