By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The President and Commander In Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Julius Malema says the party has resolved to take its leadership closer to the people they represent.
Malema made these comment in his closing address on Sunday to the EFF’s third elective conference which saw him returned unopposed as party leader.
The EFF leader stressed the importance of Central Command Team (CCT) members having a deep grasp of the party’s founding manifesto, constitution and policies, and the ability to conduct political education and training across the organisation.
“Every CCT member must be an all-rounder who has the capacity to organise and mobilise without seeking external assistance,” Malema said.
Malema said CCT members must be willing to travel extensively throughout South Africa to do the work of the party, adding that they should also have the capacity to fundraise legitimately without relying solely on the organisation’s resources.
He said, the CCT should be composed of members who will not complain about the vastness of South Africa and are not able and willing to travel the length and breadth of South Africa to do the work of the organisation.
“The CCT’s commissars should command absolute clarity on all issues, actively and consistently seek to improve their levels of knowledge and expertise on a diverse range of issues and topics.
“The team should be constituted by commissars whose home branches attain an equal or higher percentage of votes than the national average attained by the EFF in an election,” Malema said.
Discipline, both in private and public, was highlighted as a non-negotiable for CCT members. Malema warned there would be “no commissars who are going to be accused of sexual harassment” or of being “abusive towards women.”
Malema also addressed the issue of qualifications, stating that while the EFF’s constitution does not include age restrictions, the party’s deployment guidelines will require a minimum of a matric or equivalent. He emphasised this is part of the EFF’s drive to build state capacity and professionalism within its ranks.
Combating factionalism was another key theme, with Malema warning that internal divisions “destroyed the ANC” and could do the same to the EFF if not addressed.
He called for unity and consultation among the party’s leadership.
The EFF’s tense relationship with the media was also on display, as Malema demanded more transparency, honest reporting and direct engagement with analysts. He defended the party’s previous decision to boycott the eNCA, arguing the broadcaster had acted irrationally in walking out of EFF’s second NPA.
He also said his party will be ready to go into government once the ANC removes the Democratic Alliance (DA) from the government of national unity (GNU).
Malema told delegates that the national coalition government would not last, predicting that if President Cyril Ramaphosa did not bring into effect the two contentious clauses of the Bela Act, ANC members were going to remove him.
If Ramaphosa was not removed now as South Africa’s president, this would happen after the ANC elective conference in 2027 and he would be replaced by someone opposed to the unity government, Malema went on to predict.
His remarks were an apparent reference to deputy president Paul Mashatile, who plays a key role in the coalition government with the DA and other parties but was seen singing an anti-GNU song at this week’s South African Communist Party congress.
“The person who is going to be elected is a person who is going to fight GNU, and that is why we are saying it will not last, “Malema said.