Ishumi Leminyaka – Consolidating the ground towards socialist power
Progress in human development has always been achieved through a struggle against nature or against the tyranny of man. It falls upon each generation to develop the struggle in order to respond to the prevailing material conditions which are a major determinant of the motive forces.
In the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Founding Manifesto one of the stated goals of this generation is to raise the political consciousness of the masses in order to get to a critical mass which will play a decisive role in crushing neo-colonialism which currently underpins our economic, social and cultural structure. The challenge faced by the EFF is that the dawn of democracy in South Africa brought about a false consciousness of an illusion of freedom whereas we had only achieved limited political freedom. The result of this has been the high levels of apathy in society which has disengaged itself from active participation in the political life of the country. In the last General Election held in 2019, it is reported that a majority of registered voters chose not to vote as a result of this disengagement.
It is therefore not enough for the Constitution to guarantee universal suffrage and regular multi-party elections if the majority of citizens choose not to exercise this right because of the failure of the former liberation movement to deliver on its promise of delivering “A better life for all.” To paraphrase Karl Marx, he states that the rights enshrined in the Constitution are in part political rights, which can only be exercised in community with others. He further goes on to say that their content is participation in the community, and specifically in the political community, in the life of the state and that they are linked to political freedom. Therefore, the strategic goal of the EFF which is to raise the political consciousness of the people in order for them to participate in the political community by engaging in political action through community, labour and student struggles is consistent with the awakening of the motive forces.
Since the dawn of democracy, there has never been a political movement which has consistently managed to capture the imagination of the poor and marginalised like the EFF has done over the past 10 years since its formation in 2013. This has been made possible by the correct application of strategy and tactics employed in building an organisational base through grassroots mobilisation. The EFF which prides itself as a vanguard movement has consistently been at the forefront of working class and community struggles in pursuit of its strategic mission as articulated in the Seven Non-negotiable Cardinal Pillars. Since its inception it has declared a theme for each calendar year which becomes the base from which rolling campaigns are built up through the guidance of the National Leadership. The branches which are the basic nucleus of activity have managed to cover house to house through these initiatives. For instance, the year 2022 was defined by the 1 million membership campaign which coincided with the year of the branch. This campaign allowed the organisation to interact with the people at a grassroots level in order to understand the prevailing mood in country. Therefore, the existence of the EFF has been a blessing for the poor and marginalised as it has managed to walk hand in hand with our People in the pursuit of economic freedom. Ishumi leminyaka is a culmination of the consistency in developing a praxis by Groundforces under the command of the CCT.
Our consistency in action further exposed the notion that bourgeoisie regimes no matter their skin colour are in their nature violent and repressive as our activists across the country have been victimised for choosing the side of the poor. Such tactics by the State are reminiscent of the brutal Colonial-Apartheid era. This further strengthens the call for our members to develop security consciousness in order to not expose themselves to the tyranny of Cyril Ramaphosa’s regime. The mantra should be that militancy is discipline and that organisational plans are treated in a discreet manner that will not allow for counter-revolutionary forces to sabotage nor hijack the struggle for economic freedom.
The unwavering commitment of the Fighters to the 7- Non-negotiable Cardinal Pillars has engraved our movement in the hearts and minds of our People. They now understand that truly power concedes nothing without a bold demand as demonstrated by our uncompromising stance even at the face of the threat of arrest, injury or death for our Leaders and Groundforces. The EFF has demonstrated that it is the leader of society and is readying itself to take over state power in order to usher in a Socialist Azania. #EFFTurns10
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