/ 2 February 2019

EFF manifesto calls for scrapping of the tender system to eliminate corruption

Noisy theatrics: EFF members protest outside the Zondo commission last week. Sisonke Msimang writes that part of the blame for the state of social media discourse belongs to the Zunami
The party — founded in 2013 after the expulsion of Malema and others from the ANC — has acted as a kingmaker in municipalities around the country. (Oupa Nkosi/M&G)

Thousands of members and supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have started arriving at the Giant Stadium in Soshanguve, Pretoria, for the party’s 2019 election manifesto launch.

EFF president Julius Malema is expected to unveil the manifesto, compiled by the party following a series of consultative meetings across the provinces, around lunchtime after a cultural programme.

The party — founded in 2013 after the expulsion of Malema and others from the ANC — has acted as a kingmaker in municipalities around the country and prides itself on having forced municipalities to insource staff, improving workers’ conditions and wages in the process.

The manifesto incorporates the party’s seven cardinal pillars — including land redistribution without compensation and the nationalisation of banks, mines and other strategic institutions — and is expected to have a particularly strong focus on jobs and land.

The party is expected to include in its manifesto a doubling of existing social grants and the undertaking to build the state’s capacity in order to eventually do away with tenders.

The EFF will also undertake to do away with provinces, instead focusing resources into local and national government to improve service delivery and eliminate a tier of government expenditure which the party believes is unnecessary.

The party also wants to amend the Constitution to make the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) accountable to Parliament to “stop selective prosecutions and corruption”.

The manifesto lays out EFF policy on 28 different areas ranging from international relations to infrastructure development and outlines the achievements by the party’s 890 public representatives at parliamentary and local government level.