The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has launched his party’s 2024 elections manifesto at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Addressing thousands of red berets supporters at the packed stadium, Malema said the EFF’s theme for the 2024 elections is, “our land and jobs now, stop load shedding.”
Malema praised the party’s record, since its formation in 2013, highlighting that it has participated in four elections, continues to grow in every election, has 44 Members of Parliament, nine National Council of Provinces members, and represented in all provincial legislatures in the country.
He said the manifest theme will ensure that the party emerges victorious in the forthcoming elections.
“The emphasis on land derives from the fact that 30 years after the attainment of political freedom, 80% of the population continues to occupy less than 10% of South Africa’s land.
The emphasis on jobs is motivated by the sad reality that after 30 years of attempts at addressing the matter, more than 11 million capable South Africans who need jobs are unemployed, with no hope that anything will change unless the current government is changed, while 13 million are not economically active.
The emphasis on stop load shedding is because despite many empty promises, the South African government has not brought forth a dependable electricity plan that will guarantee the supply of electricity to all its citizens,” said Malema.
The EFF leader outlined some of the bold policies, which he said were influenced by the failure of the ruling party to change people’s lives in the past 30 years.
Malema said the EFF government will help create millions of decent jobs between 2024 and 2029.
“This will happen through building state capacity, state-led and protected industrialisation, industrial diversification, the protection of infant and existing industries, the transfer of ownership to black people through subsidies, an increase in tariffs, and state-aided marketing and promotion of South African products internally, across the continent, and worldwide, with a focus on key, progressive, and most beneficial trading partners,” said Malema.
He said some of the measures that will help achieve this is the establishment of a state-owned housing and roads companies, creation of multiple special economic zones, buying local, investment in township economy and a minimum wage across the board.
On the energy sector, Malema said the party has devised methods to end the energy challenges in the country.
“The EFF government will ensure the security of electricity supply for at least the next 20 years, emulating successful models like that of China, to foster national sovereignty and sustainable economic growth.
The EFF government will invest in repairing the existing fleet of power generation and adopt clean coal technologies to enhance the energy availability factor,” explained Malema.
Some of the energy highlights promises include among others the reduction of electricity demand of major electricity users, subsidize embedded electricity alternatives for public institutions, establish a state-owned mining company to manage coal mines owned by Eskom and leverage 200 years of coal reserves.
Malema also outlined a bold plan of action to transform the education sector.
“The EFF government will introduce free, decolonized education for all, incorporating topics pertaining to Indigenous knowledge, sovereignty, and economic freedom in the curricula.
The EFF government will criminalize all parents who do not take their children to school.
The EFF government will ensure that all schools have access to adequate sanitation, and that pit latrines are completely eradicated and replaced with safe and adequate flushing toilets,” said Malema.
On Early Childhood Development, the party said it will make universal provision for the programs and will make it compulsory for children from the ages of three years and upwards to be enrolled in the programs for free.
The party said it will introduce measures to boost the basic education sector, such as increasing the use of information and communication technology for teaching. Each learner will receive a tablet loaded with all necessary study material, tutorials, educational videos, study mathematics and robotics.
“The EFF government will cancel all student debt, reintegrate all students who were excluded based on fees, and give certificates, diplomas, and degrees to all students who passed and were denied their qualifications because of outstanding fees.
We will establish a centralized higher education registration system so that students are not required to fill in their details and register more than once,” said Malema regarding higher education.
Some of the key highlights will require each campus to insource all staff by the end of 2024, each campus to have security by 2025 with a sexual crimes’ unit, provision of free sanitary towels at all institutions of higher learning immediately, data, and increase the intake at all institutions of higher learning by 20% annually, establish satellite campus and clear all student NSFAS debt.
In relation to crime, Malema said they will introduce stringent laws, that will see offenders who commit serious crimes spent more time in prisons, introduce incentives for law enforcement officials, reopen some of the old police stations and establish satellite police stations, all police stations to have DNA kits by the end of 2025 and increase police visibility.
The manifesto proposes building a strategic and working relationship with the military and increasing its budget.
The EFF manifesto also pledges to address health, LGBTQIA+ community, water and sanitation, state security, public procurement, and traditional leaders, among others.
