The EFF's Political Strategy: Is it Time for a Change?

Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu

ON 26 July 2013, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was established as a new political party. It promised to reshape South African politics by breathing life into parliament. This was not a voluntary decision.

The party was formed following the expulsion of Julius Malema by the ANC and the subsequent exodus of other then and former ANC Youth League members who sympathized with Malema. Some of the youth who did not belong to any political party at the time saw the EFF as their political home thus giving hope about the future of this party.

After the 2014 general election, the EFF emerged as one of the high performers with 25 seats in the National Assembly. It came third following the ANC and the DA which obtained 249 and 89 seats respectively. This enviable upward trajectory continued in the subsequent election in 2019 where the EFF obtained 44 seats.

There was optimism that the party would continue to grow until the newly formed MKP emerged on 16 December 2023 and participated in the 2024 general election. The MKP caused an upset to the EFF which was moved to position four and to the ANC which was reduced to 159 seats or 40.18%.

But one of the characteristic features of the EFF which gave it popularity was how it changed parliament through its radical stance. Soon after the EFF joined parliament, many South Africans got interested in following parliamentary proceedings. The EFF was also clear that it was going to ensure that politicians did not go to parliament to sleep. It kept its promise.

Something unprecedented was when it confronted a sitting president directly and even flouted parliamentary rules. This is what happened with former President Jacob Zuma with its popular slogan ‘pay back the money!’

President Cyril Ramaphosa had a taste of the EFF’s radical stance. Firstly, it blamed him for the Marikana massacre. Later, it took him head-on following the Phala Phala saga. Recently, the EFF was one of the political parties that successfully challenged the 2% VAT hike proposed by Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana.

Following the tabling of Budget 3.0 on 21 May 2025, the EFF approached the High Court challenging the increase of the petrol levy. Although the court dismissed the application, the EFF made its views public.

While all these actions by the EFF should be understood in context, and while it is true that they have acted in this manner on behalf of the public, critical questions must be asked now, especially following the EFF’s declined performance in the 2024 general election. 

Firstly, should the EFF change its tactics to rebrand itself? In life, there is no strategy that is good and effective for all times and situations. As times change, so should the strategies. With so many political parties emerging and the electorate having more options on election day, some political party strategies could easily be deemed obsolete.

Secondly, is it advisable for the EFF to be fixated on micro issues or has the time come for the party to redirect its focus on macro politics? It is true that some micro issues still matter. But given what is happening in the geopolitics it would serve the EFF well to look at how it can contribute to the country’s broad agenda of responding to these global issues.

Thirdly, following the outcome of the 2024 general election, and given the mishaps in the current coalition government, is it still advisable for the EFF to take a firm stance that it will never work with the MKP with which it shares opposition benches? The DA swallowed its pride and is working with the ANC, which it had been publicly accusing of corruption, inefficiency, theft, and related matters. What would prevent the EFF from working with the MKP which is a new political party?

Fourthly, as the EFF continues to lose some of its influential leaders such as Floyd Shivambu, Mzwanele Manyi, Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Adv. Dali Mpofu, and Adv. Busisiwe Mhkwebane, is it still wise to maintain a radical stance and refuse to work with like-minded political parties? Politics is a numbers game. When party support declines, and when votes go down, the party leadership must revisit its stance. The EFF can draw lessons from COPE which dropped from 30 seats to 3 seats, and then literally dissipated.

Fifthly and lastly, should Malema change his leadership style? One of the concerns about the EFF in the public eye has been that his leadership style is making others uncomfortable, which results in other members leaving the organisation. Whether this accusation is true or not is neither here nor there. Perceptions matter in politics. If he were to change his leadership style, that would be good for his party. After all, Malema has done well with his leadership collective to grow the EFF to where it is today. It would be regrettable if he were to contribute to its untimely demise.

The significant decline in ANC support coupled with the DA’s dismal failure to capitalise on the ANC’s mistakes means that chances of one political party winning with an outright majority are very slim at best and non-existent at worst. With the MKP coming into the picture and performing in the manner it did even the so-called ‘tried and tested strategies’ must be revisited to keep the party relevant, focused and growing. Any party which overlooks or disregards these facts would be doing so for its peril. I don’t think that this is the route the EFF would like to go, especially after having worked so hard since its formation in 2013.      

In a nutshell, it is time for the EFF to grow. The party has made its presence felt in South African politics. It has taken bold decisions and left indelible footprints. But at times political strategies must be changed. This includes the tone, language, actions, focal points, and political alliances.

* Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu is Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at Nelson Mandela University.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.