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10 highlights from the EFF’s Manifesto

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The Economic Freedom Fighters launched its election manifesto today, hosting a rally in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria. Thousands gathered at the Giant stadium, as EFF leader Julius Malema fired up his message to hopeful supporters on the changes and policies his party aims to focus on.

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An array of key strategic issues and vital sectors in South Africa are covered in the EFF’s Manifesto document, to which they detail their particular policies. Here is a list of some of the key issues they covered, and some of the ways they propose to tackle it.

  • LAND

The EFF will abolish foreign land ownership, it will nationalize all Game Reserves and will redistribute a minimum of 50% of the land to be controlled by women and the youth.

  • EMPLOYMENT

The EFF will ensure a minimum of 80% of goods and services procured by the state on all levels are domestically produced. A minimum of 50% of all the country’s mineral resources are locally processed and beneficiated. It will also help communities in coastal areas to start agro-fishing businesses.

  • CORRUPTION

The EFF will introduce a minimum sentence of 20 years for all public servants convicted of corruption. It will strengthen the current legislation on the protection of whistle-blowers. It will also amend the Constitution to make the National Prosecuting Authority accountable to Parliament.

  • YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

 The EFF will ensure all private corporations employ a minimum of 35% of people between the ages of 18 and 35, and will ensure that all government departments and public institutions employ a minimum of 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 35. The party also promises to allocate R2 billion to the National Youth Development Agency, with a minimum of 50% of that allocated to companies, programmes and projects controlled by women.

  • CRIME

The EFF will employ an additional 100,000 police officers by 2023, repair all broken police vehicles by 2020, purchase an additional 7,000 police vehicles by 2022 – on condition that 50% of all parts are made in South Africa. The EFF promises that racism will be declared a punishable criminal offence. It will ensure that the SABC dedicates 1 hour per day on all radio and TV stations to educate the public about crime prevention and community policing. All immigrants will be registered and have their fingerprints captured by Internal security and the Department of Home Affairs. Sentences for Rhino poaching will also be increased, promises the party.

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  • EDUCATION

The EFF promises to introduce free decolonized education for all, provide each learner with a tablet loaded with all necessary study material, tutorials and educational videos. It promises that under its government, all students will fall under one school system and all matric learners will write the same examinations. It will provide two nutritious meals a day to all learners in all schools by 2020. It will also ensure safe flushing toilets in all schools by 2021. It will provide sanitary towels to all learners in public schools. The EFF will abolish the 30% pass mark and increase it to 50%. It will also cancel all higher education student debt, and will provide free accommodation for students at higher education institutions.

  • HEALTH

All clinics under the EFF will open 24 hours a day. The party will ensure all machines and equipment older than 10 years will be replaced in all clinics and hospitals by 2022. The EFF will also implement an immunization and vaccination programme, which will cover 100% of all South Africans by 2024.

  • FINANCIAL SECTOR

The EFF will nationalize the South African Reserve Bank and discontinue its private ownership. It will limit the number of insurance licenses issued to majority foreign-owned insurance companies. The party will also increase ownership of shares in the JSE by black people, Africans in particular, to 30% by the year 2022. It will pass legislation to disallow house mortgage repayment periods to exceed 10 years. The EFF will regulate and cap interest rates by money lenders.

  • ECONOMY

The EFF will introduce laws that compel huge corporations to directly contribute to the construction of schools, hospitals and other important social development programmes. It will strive for an economic outlook where the state owns strategic sectors of the economy.

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  • INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The EFF will work towards ending the global imperialist dominance of the West. It will build relations with all progressive nations in Latin America, Asia and the African continent. It will lead a progressive programme to build international political, social and economic solidarity among African states. It will protect Zimbabwe from imperialist threats and sanctions, ensuring that Zimbabwe is self-sustainable and returns to using its own independent currency within 5 years. The EFF will re-evaluate all trade agreements. It will fight for a borderless Africa and a single currency in the medium to long-term.

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