Viva EFF! Ekurhuleni resident Gert Havenga said he found his political home with the red berets. Picture Hein Kaiser
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have a reputation for being a party of protest, rhetoric and big political noise. It’s also a party that might be mistakenly summed up in all the wrong ways. Because there is more to the party than meets the loud tweets and placard waving marches that the public have come to expect.
WATCH: The other side
The party, now leading a coalition government in Ekurhuleni, has shown that its fighters in red overalls can get their hands dirty. Party members and councillors have been on a campaign in the metro to fill potholes, cut the grass on overgrown sidewalks and do general clean-ups. And this, outside of the council’s mandate to deliver to residents in lieu of rates and taxes.
The EFF just went out and did it, from leafy suburbs through to informal settlements and everything in between. The party has showed that when it comes to service delivery, it wont discriminate, despite the emphasis on also uplifting and taking care of the poor, which remains an important concern for the movement.
Also Read: The EFF cares for us whites
When the party led a loose alliance to oust the DA-led government in Ekurhuleni, it inherited an angry collective of residents. Refuse removal was in a shambles, connecting the dots in potholed streets spelt disaster and overgrown parks, sidewalks and street islands were en eyesore.
After years of ANC neglect followed by DA inability to take swift action, the EFF-led coalition is making a visible effort.
No matter political allegiance, it should be lauded. A recent poll showed that the party is gaining ground amongst an unlikely set of supporters.
ALSO WATCH: Voting for ANC or EFF ‘will make collapse of Zimbabwe look like a dress rehearsal’ – DA leader
A recent byelection in Kempton Park defied EFF conventional legend with the party fronting a white, Afrikaans candidate, Lulu de Beer. The ward, also populated by predominantly Afrikaans voters that range from high income through to people living in abject poverty.
And while De Beer didn’t win the ward on the day, it’s the stats that tell a story. The DA won the ward, but with fewer votes than it had two years ago, the ANC probably lost its deposit at a disgraceful 2% of the vote while the Freedom Front made a solid showing. The EFF was the only party to gain significantly, pushing its result to ten percent of the vote, three times more than in 2021.
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