A CLARION CALL TO ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS AND ALL SOUTH AFRICANS TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED:
11 June 2013
Since our election into the national leadership of the ANC Youth League 2008, we spoke about and pushed for radical economic transformation in the African National Congress (ANC). WE did so guided by the Freedom Charter principles and clarion call that the "People shall share in the country's wealth".
During our time, we were able to mobilise structures and members of the ANC to develop "greater consensus of Nationalisation of Mines and other strategic sectors of the economy" and persuaded the ANC to abandon the willing buyer, willing seller principle in terms of land redistribution, affirmed by the ANC 3rd National General Council in 2010 and National Policy Conference in 2012.
The Policy outcomes of the ANC 53rd National Conference however have demonstrated in the clearest terms that the ANC is committed to a right-wing, neo-liberal and capitalist agenda which has kept majority of our people on the margins of South Africa's economy. As we speak, unemployment levels at approaching 40% with no sign of recovery in the immediate future, the economy is not growing, inequalities are rising, and poverty deepening.
The ANC went further to adopt a neo-liberal, right-wing and reactionary policy framework called the National Development Plan (NDP), which will only worsen South Africa's socio-economic problems because it does not speak to change of ownership of the economy.
As things stand, and based on the outcomes of the ANC 53rd National Conference, we can boldly say that the following observations are true:
1. The ANC will never be a sustainable solution to South Africa developmental problems in the foreseeable future, due to its ideological zigzags, and open dominance of neoliberal and right wing politics.
2. The ANC integrity and credibility will gradually decline because it will not address the many massive developmental challenges confronting society in the current conjecture. Poverty, unemployment and inequalities will worsen under ANC leadership.
3. Opposition political parties to the ANC oppose it on superficial issues, because all the major political formations in parliament carry the same neoliberal, capitalist and free-market programme as the ANC.
4. The South African Communist Party has been swallowed into reform politics of patronage and will never regain integrity to pursue real working class struggles anytime soon.
5. COSATU will soon be swallowed into same politics of reforms, and all those who push for a radical agenda will be isolated, banished and portrayed as anti-ANC. The dominant ANC/SACP faction COSATU will rid it of progressive independent leaders.
6. Independent Trade Unions, like AMCU, will continue to emerge and grow bigger because COSATU Unions will gradually fail to represent workers.
7. Majority of the people in the informal settlements, townships, villages and other poor communities will disengage from mainstream politics and not vote in successive elections.
8. The ANC Youth League has been turned into a lap dog and sent around to repeat what the ANC leadership says and puppet Youth League leaders rewarded with cabinet posts and other pecks to sustain their puppet status.
9. Victimization of those who are suspected of forming political alternatives in the ANC will increase with threats of arrests and possible manipulation of the justice system until imprisonment.
10. The middle class will further drift away from the ANC and now beef up the DA Votes, which are inevitably going to increase in the next general elections.
11. Service delivery protests will intensify and workplace stoppages in the Mines and Farms will also continue in higher volumes than before, thus worsening the economic crisis South Africa is undergoing.
12. Social movements will remain on the margins of mainstream politics and only mobilize on sector based issues which will not relate to mainstream electoral and power politics.
13. Any form of generalized uprising will be harshly suppressed by the State machinery and will never escalate to a level where a sitting government can be toppled.
14. The youth will become more disgruntled under the leadership of the ANC,
15. South Africa will be turned into a Kleptocracy, with government leaders openly looting State resources and pursuing self-enrichment, and classifying reports and processes that seek to expose such callous behaviour. Those around President Jacob Zuma will get richer and more corrupt because they will know that like him, they are immune from prosecution.
It is on these bases and observations that as Economic Freedom Fighters believe that South Africans should STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. As economic Freedom Fighters, we call on all South Africans committed to real change to submit the names, contact details and current political affiliation to the [email protected].
We will be holding consultative forums and platforms across South Africa to discuss WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
Those interested should know that the base principles for these consultations are the following:
1. Expropriation of South Africa's land without compensation for equal redistribution.
2. Nationalisation of Mines, banks, and other strategic sectors of the economy.
3. Building State and government capacity, which will lead to abolishment of Tenders.
4. Free quality education, healthcare, houses, and sanitation.
5. Massive protected industrial development to create millions of sustainable jobs.
6. Massive development of the African economy and advocating for a move from reconciliation to justice.
7. Open, accountable government and society without fear of victimisation by State police.
Those who uphold these principles should join Economic Freedom Fighters in defining the mission of what is to be done. We call for submissions via email, on Facebook and Twitter on WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
We call for submissions on what can be fundraising mechanisms for this platform because we do not have money, and lack of money cannot stop up from expressing our democratic rights. We will soon co-ordinate platforms across South Africa to interact with the people as hear solutions on WHAT IS TO BE DONE, and details will be communicated.
The contact details are as follows:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EconFreedomZA
Facebook: Economic Freedom Fighters.
Statement issued by Julius Malema on behalf of Economic Freedom Fighters, June 11 2013
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