In 2020 while on assignment in the Free State, I was a passenger in the bakkie of a white man who was driving around his large farm showing us the devastation caused by a fire that had killed his livestock. He randomly said: “You know, back in the day this wouldn’t be OK — us driving together. But things are different now, I see how my kids bring their black friends to the farm and how they relate to each other, it’s quite something.
“It’s because of that Malema [EFF leader Julius Malema]. We have no choice, we are forced to change.” We shared an awkward laugh and moved on to the next topic.
I’m forced to revisit this brief monologue as the news feed is flooded with the resignation of the EFF deputy president, Floyd Shivambu, and others from the party. The optics in the media briefing signalled despair of sorts, a sign of the times — which left us wondering whether this was a political game they were plunged into by their poor performance in the May elections or the beginning of an end for the once-dominant radical party.
Though largely unprecedented, it talks to the impermanence of things, whether in political life or general. It also forces us to contend with the reality of the character of politics under the government of national unity (GNU) and a place for a populist movement within the current dispensation.
The EFF was formed at a time when the ANC had become tone-deaf to the cries of South Africans. It could articulate neglected issues, profile them and sway discourse. It told a simple story of “us” vs “them” while focusing its policy on unmet aspirations.
They mobilised “ground forces” as soon as they established themselves in 2013, winning more than 6.5% of the vote in the 2014 elections. This was typically influenced by its populist stance, drawing immense inspiration from the Marxist-Leninist and Fanonian doctrines. I lean on Karl Marx’s prominent declaration that, indeed, the consciousness of men is determined by their material conditions and not necessarily their being. The ANC was behaving in ways different from a party that fought for the liberation of South Africans.
There was a rise of opportunistic demagogues who unleashed corruption on public funds, neglected to answer the land question, ignored racial tensions and were far from young people. It created a gap, the EFF seemed to fill it and enjoyed the status of a party in ascension until this year’s elections. The establishment of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party — popularised by former president Jacob Zuma — appeared to change the game.
During his tenure as president in 2015, Zuma was confronted with students across the country protesting for access to fee-free higher education. The protests did not garner enough dominance until the EFF Student Command (EFFSC) joined the fold, especially in universities like Tshwane University of Technology. In 2016 during a media briefing, Malema continued his unwavering support for the students, urging them not to be discouraged. “The response of the state requires students to double their efforts and say to the state, 'you cannot kill all of us, you can never arrest all of us. We will achieve free education in our lifetime,'” he said.
Noor Nieftagodien, senior lecturer in the history department at the University of the Witwatersrand, once characterised the EFF as the most significant youth movement and the first left split from the ANC since 1994. Though there were other players such as the ANC-aligned South African Students Congress (Sasco), the outcome of a speech on December 16 2017 when Zuma announced that the government would now fully subsidise higher education, was influenced by the stance of the firebrand party’s mobilisation and continued tabling of the matter in public. The EFFSC took it a step further and called for the decolonisation of the curriculum and the prioritisation of the labour rights of campus workers.
At the height of the EFF's existence it was a champion of the people. Where there was racial confrontation it intervened through protests in numbers, it made urgent the allocation of land to the disenfranchised masses and amplified the displeasures of the people.
Four days later, at its 54th National Conference, the ANC adopted land expropriation without compensation as a part of its policy. It had previously snubbed this issue. This was in collaboration with the EFF who had been raising hell at all levels about land redistribution.
At the height of the EFF's existence it was a champion of the people. Where there was racial confrontation it intervened through protests in numbers, it made urgent the allocation of land to the disenfranchised masses and amplified the displeasures of the people. It also relentlessly fought against the rule of Zuma whom it labelled a “constitutional delinquent” over several allegations of corruption and the controversial construction of his Nkandla home. As comrades, Malema and Shivambu stripped Zuma of any dignity in parliament and influenced his ultimate relinquishing of power on the evening of Valentine’s Day in 2018.
The party and Zuma were political enemies, but as years went by, they were seen forging a rapport of sorts. Though the unprecedented emergence of the MK Party was blamed for the devastating decline of the EFF, something can be said about the impact of the EFF’s stance on border control on its performance. I argue that it too got trapped in the glory of its established relevance, thus slightly repeating the very neglect of niche issues it did not appreciate from the ANC. It was no longer vocal about the land issue like it used to be. Also, there was a rising discontent over the influx of illegal foreign nationals in the country and at face value, one can attribute some portion of its voter loss to its open border policy. However, Malema has disputed this allegation. Politically, though, it worked against itself and failed to read the room. On principle, it is commendable it was unrelenting.
In his resignation letter, Shivambu emphasised he did not believe one's aspirations should be taken as a betrayal. Malema was not only losing his right-hand man and the brains behind their party, but a dear comrade. But what does Shivambu joining a party led by a man they howled at together in parliament say about their comradeship? Have they factored in the impact this will have on the outlook of voters on the party? As a result, it’s difficult to conceptualise the EFF outside the two personalities. If it’s not a betrayal of their comradeship, what does it mean for the many who followed them over the years?
In all fairness, Shivambu is an individual who also has ambitions and agency as an adult. He too deserves our acceptance of his choice, regardless of how we might feel or speculate about it. In Zulu they say, “okungapheli kuyahlola”, meaning nothing lasts forever, this is the way of life. Life sure does come at you fast. One looks forward to the unfolding of the “progressive caucus” and how it will further shape the politics of the land. Perhaps this is not entirely hopeless that it provides a base for black unity.
The two built the party from the ground up, had the most refreshing makeup of young politicians, conscientised the masses, filled up stadiums and established student representation that challenged the status quo. They gave the ANC and the DA a run for their money. Inasmuch as they were seen as the “rude boys”, they managed to forge a warm and respectful relationship with traditional leaders like the late iSilo, King Goodwill Zwelithini and King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. Perception is one thing, but the reality is they made a formidable team and achieved great things.
Only time will tell if this is the end of the once mighty EFF or an opportunity for a renaissance, a revival. If the EFF does not survive this, hopefully it will not mean that racists and exploiters can now get comfortable and arrogant again. That if their watch ends, their ideological impact remains.
This break-up feels like the split-up of a popular music group. You may not particularly like their music but you like the personalities together, like Black Motion, Destiny’s Child, Westlife and N-sync. It breaks your heart a little.
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