A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Have the youth outgrown Malema?

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is having its National People’s Assembly elective conference this weekend, with perhaps the most pressing issue on the table being the future of the party.

The red berets will reflect on the last few years and see many challenges. It will also celebrate much success, including staying alive and relevant.

A discussion document for the conference admits the party had become “stagnant” or was “declining”.

Neither are buzzwords for the youth the EFF seeks to draw from for its support base.

EFF down with Generation Yanos

The EFF is a party for everyone, its range of MPs in Parliament shows this. But fervent campaigning and advocacy at universities and in townships highlight where they believe they are most appreciated.

They fought tooth and nail so university students could vote before polls closed in May’s national elections and have been at the forefront of community protests in townships for years.

The dominance of the EFF Student Command on many campuses is encouraging for the party. Until September, the command had won 12 of the 21 elections this year.

But it has sadly become a symbol of a good idea turned sour.

It turned when the youth, like those in the township and beyond, stopped caring about politics.

Many left varsity and outgrew radicalism. Those in and out of school are disillusioned with failed service delivery and distracted by the burden of staying alive, so they give little thought to politicians and mobilisation.

They are told that if they join the fight things will get better, but they don’t. The status quo remains and politicians just buy more Gucci.

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On top of that, they vote and their fave doesn’t even get in the top 3, never mind win.

In a world of instant gratification and short attention spans, no one pays attention to a loser unless the loser has a chance of a Hollywood-style comeback or they want to make fun of them.

Intellectually not stimulating

The expiry of the EFF may have started at its very beginning.

Appeal is important and the EFF wanted to present itself as of the people but above them.

Dressed in overalls they wanted to show solidarity with the average South African but enforced a high level of intelligence and education from its leaders.

This was a great pursuit and much needed when the ANC under Jacob Zuma appeared to be filled with comrades who could neither count nor reason rationally.

But the EFF’s concoction spoiled quickly.

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ANC did it before the EFF

As EFF boss Julius Malema knows, the ANC was founded on the same ground.

Its first leaders were some of the most intelligent men of any race, in a country where race was most important.

The party’s early meetings were a distinguished men’s club of philosophy, activism and political debate.

Among the best literature ever produced in this country came from John Dube, Sol Plaatje, and Pixley ka Isaka Seme.

But it soon found that intellectual debate, petitions, letters, and attempted meetings with the Crown got you nowhere.

It was only under more radical leadership that a defiance campaign caught the attention and people started identifying with the party as part of their life and struggle. It became a party that spoke with them, not to them.

The long story short is the party lost that after democracy as the two streams of intellect and populism ebbed and flowed.

The ANC’s poor governance and its image as a liberator-turned-corrupt-power-grabber destroyed not only its name but also the public’s trust in politicians.

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It’s all theatre

The EFF was a resuscitation, another breath to a dying system and a hope, but the situation on the ground has often got worse – largely not their fault – and voter turnout shows that people now generally don’t care.

In such a climate, politics becomes less a tool for real change and more a theatre production. Malema is an A-lister in this regard but, as is showbiz, has been replaced by the next “big thing” in the MK party.

This weekend will go a long way toward deciding whether it can regain its shine and remain a veteran actor, or whether it’s best to retire on past glories.

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