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Is EFF the new COPE?

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Is EFF the new Cope?

When controversial politician Julius Malema and friends announced their intentions to start a new political party that would continue echoing the same reasons that got them fired from the governing African National Congress (ANC) in 2011, many thought another Congress of the People (COPE) was imminent.

As you will recall, Cope was started by a group of disgruntled former ANC elites that were unhappy with the Polokwane (ANC Elective Conference) results in 2007; and the subsequent recall of President Thabo Mbeki in September 2008.

COPE is the party that actually proved the ANC leadership correct when someone remarked that “it’s cold outside the ANC”; something Jacob Zuma’s ANC would naturally like to see happening to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) too.

Two years on, the EFF seems to have gained more popularity and support since their arrival onto the political stage back in 2013. Proof of this is how the party performed in the 2014 general elections and its capture of approximately 6% of the popular vote nationally which afforded the party 25 seats in parliament. Through their national rallies and media briefings since then, the EFF has demonstrated that they were here to stay.

Although the fledgling party has weathered a few unsavoury storms with the likes of former senior members like Andile Mngxitama, Kenny Kunene and Gayton McKhenzie flinging a volley of accusations at it, the EFF seems to have emerged stronger as it prepares to celebrate its second anniversary in the North West on Saturday, 25 July.

Just to go back to the COPE comparisons, many still remember how the party was first started with a lot of fanfare and pomp. Leading the charge from the front were former cabinet minister, Terror Mosioua Lekota and former Gauteng premier, Mbhazima Shilowa. The cracks began showing early into its creation when the introduction of Bishop Mvume Dandala was announced as COPE’s presidential candidate going into the 2009 general election.

The incessant infighting within COPE saw the party support plummet from 7.42% in 2009 to just over 2.1% two years later. The turning point however came in the 2014 elections when Cope was reduced to just 0.67% of the popular vote or three seats in the National Assembly – from 30 in 2009.

Fast forward to 2015 and the EFF turns all of two years on 25 July. Not to miss the political moment, the party is holding its rally in the very same province where 34 miners were killed in the infamous Marikana massacre in August 2012. The party looks good in terms of tackling issues of national importance, at least according to its members. Apart from the odd Kenny Kunene, Gayton McKenzie and Andile Mngxitama media-seeking incidents, the EFF has remained fairly immune to party infighting—a reality that has plagued so many other political entities that came before it (PAC, APC, PAM, IFP, NFP, and even the ANC).

One can argue that the EFF’s presence can be felt in all corners of South African society. If the party is not proverbially jumping onto the political bandwagon with strategic walkabouts and voter visits, it is creating a scene in the halls of the National Assembly, much to the chagrin of a watching South African public and of course the former home of EFF loyals, the ANC.

Some may argue that the EFF is the only party that dared to take on the mighty ANC. A case in point is what transpired at the 2015 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February. National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete convened media briefing after another to clarify what should happen in the House; and what should not. She was forced to apologise also for calling EFF leader Julius Malema a “cockroach” during an ANC provincial meeting in the North West.

When Mbete’s frustrations had reached a boiling point with the EFF constantly chanting “Pay Back The Money” (in reference to President Jacob Zuma’s tax-spend of R246-million on his Nkandla private home), Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was hauled in to forge a political compromise. This too was short-lived. There is no question that the ANC is under pressure – politically and otherwise. The party of South Africa’s liberation is doing everything in its power to maintain some sort of decorum in the House. If this means amending the House Rules, so be it.

In actual fact, Baleka Mbete convened a media briefing on 23 July in Pretoria to address this very same issue; that new amended rules were on its way before year end that would effectively deal with the EFF headache. Who can forget the recent attacks on the EFF by cabinet minister and SACP leader Dr Blade Nzimande who publicly called for the EFF to be killed off.  This is yet example of the ruling alliance and its partners being frazzled by the EFF. Apart from the ANC, the official opposition—the Democratic Alliance (DA)— needs to be worried too. The EFF’s grass-root appeal could harm the DA as the EFF mantra of a ‘government-in-waiting’ gathers momentum.

The rise in the EFF’s political fortunes has unfortunately translated into the waning and possible death of the ANC Youth League from the public sphere. The likes of Pule Mabe, Sindiso Magaqa and others losing their credibility as politicians in South Africa can be credited to the EFF. And the fact that the ANCYL can’t seem to find the correct date for their elective congress can be attributed to the EFF. Also, in previous years, the ANC government used to host national events in stadiums for important days like Human Rights Day, Workers Day and recently National Youth Day as per the South African calendar. But since the emergence of the EFF, these public holiday events are hosted in city halls, while the EFF is populating stadiums brimming with young people thirsty to hear what the EFF leadership has to say.

The EFF is no COPE! If support for the party on the ground is to be believed, South Africa’s political terrain is set to change for the better. The rhetoric in parliament has altered too since the EFF’s arrival. An example is the quality of debate by some EFF Members of Parliament (MPs) like Floyd Shivambu and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi who have illustrated that this is a party like no other before it: it is vibrant, it is energetic; and it is not afraid to raise pertinent issues troubling ordinary South Africans.

The fact that prominent lawyer Advocate Dali Mpofu has thrown his weight behind the EFF is again proof that the party has immense credibility. The EFF has so far shown that it is nothing compared to “Shikota” – a loose reference to Mbhazima Shilowa and Terror Lekota and their COPE project. The EFF in contrast seems to have its priorities listed in black and white, which is fighting for the economic freedom for the poor.

Note: Please note that this Opinion was first published in 2015 on EFF’s second anniversary. 

Lennox Maswele Ralebona is a researcher with the SABC News Research & Policy Analysis unit. He works on the land, immigration and political issues.

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