I’d be interested to know what South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighter’s (EFF) plans are regarding military action, because liberal democracy and individualism are well-protected by coercion, compliance, and alliances. This party needs to become clear about their methods as the excitement of their promises is sure to die down shortly.
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Indeed, our political geography — as far as physical resources and investment potential — is great, and ideally, it should serve us and we should serve ourselves as South Africans and as Africans, but foreign capital is with us and those capitalists are the owners of capitalism so they would never stand for it. The activism proposed by the EFF has always seemed to be quite small-minded.
The EFF’s manifesto, for example, assures us that they are making “genuine commitments, which will bring about real economic transformation. These are commitments, which will lift South Africa and its people to an elevated position in the world. These are commitments, which will leave a long-lasting, positive, and meaningful legacy for generations to come. These are commitments, which will inspire the entire African continent and nations across the world to pursue and implement real economic emancipation.”
Listen to the EFF’s manifesto here:
Capitalism, as we know, has different meanings within different discourses. Signification is unequal, that is to say that high wages for workers are great for us but not for the state of international economics. Lonmin/AMCU, where negotiations between the South African mining group Lonmin and the Associated Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) continues to fail, is a prime example of this.
History has made it clear that the discourse in Western statism and capitalist leadership is about dominating the non-complaint.
Therefore, Africanism must be advanced through engagements with the current systems rather than an attempt to abolish them as we know them unless we are ready to go to war and win.
Let me elaborate.
Even at independence, African states inherited political, social, and economic systems designed NOT to improve Africa but to exploit it by extracting and exporting goods to the First World and subduing the majority of Africans.
The EFF promises to end this but what does that mean? Surely either war or empty or failed promises.
Strategic action depends on the resources (military, media, compliance, alliances etc.) available and being stronger than capitalism.
I can already picture it: EFF leader Julius Malema (pictured) being mischaracterized as a threat to national security in countries he’s never visited or being accused of killing people that don’t exist.
As far as I’m concerned, assuming that the purpose of the EFF’s appearance on future ballot papers is what they claim, they need to assume a character that is definitely and publicly comfortable with the prospect of violence and has plans already in place to go through with it. Otherwise, they are misleading voters.
It’s all a muddle, but what is clear is that the time for hype is behind us and this is the time for the EFF to show what they are truly about.
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