Economic Freedom Fighters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Economic Freedom Fighters
Abbreviation	EFF
President	Julius Malema
Chairperson	Veronica Mente
Secretary-General	Marshall Dlamini
Spokesperson	Sinawo Tambo Leigh-Ann Mathys
Deputy President	Floyd Shivambu
Deputy Secretary-General	Poppy Mailola
Treasurer-General	Omphile Maotwe
Founders	Julius Malema Floyd Shivambu
Founded	26 July 2013 (2013-07-26)
Split from	African National Congress
Headquarters	119 Marshall Street, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Student wing	EFFSC
Membership (2022)	1,085,843
Ideology	Communism Marxism–Leninism Fanonism Sankarism Anti-capitalism Anti-imperialism Black nationalism Pan-Africanism Anti-Zionism
Political position	Far-left
Colours	Red
Slogan	"Our land and jobs, now!"
National Assembly	44 / 400
National Council of Provinces	11 / 90
Pan-African Parliament	1 / 5 (South African seats)
Provincial Legislatures	50 / 430
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality (council)	30 / 270
Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (council)	6 / 120
City of Cape Town (council)	10 / 231

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a political party in South Africa. It was started in 2013 by Julius Malema and his friends. Malema used to lead the youth group of another big party, the African National Congress.

The EFF is now the third-largest party in both parts of the Parliament of South Africa. This means they have many members who help make laws for the country. They are also the main opposition party in three of South Africa's nine provinces. This means they are the biggest party that is not in charge in those areas.

The EFF's Story

How the EFF Started

On 26 July 2013, Julius Malema announced that his new party, the EFF, had more than 1000 members. This was double the number needed to officially register with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The EFF was officially registered in September 2013.

In 2015, the EFF removed some of its members from Parliament. One of them, Andile Mngxitama, started his own party called Black First Land First. Some people said Malema was too strict and removed anyone who disagreed with him. Malema said that the party needed to remove members who did not follow the rules.

What the EFF Does Now

In 2015, the EFF started a court case against the then-President, Jacob Zuma. This was part of their "#PayBackTheMoney" campaign. The case went to the highest court, the Constitutional Court. In 2016, the court decided that President Zuma had broken the rules of the South African Constitution.

In 2018, the EFF suggested changing the Constitution to allow land to be taken without paying for it. This idea was supported by many members of Parliament. Only a few parties, like the Democratic Alliance, did not agree. Taking land without payment is one of the EFF's main goals.

The EFF's student group, the EFF Student Command, won many student elections in 2018. They won at big universities like the Durban University of Technology and the University of Cape Town. The student leader, Peter Keetse, said these wins showed what would happen in the national elections in 2019. He believed young people would change the future.

In March 2023, the party tried to organize a national shutdown. This was to protest against power cuts (loadshedding) and to ask President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down. However, many news reports said the shutdown did not have a big impact.

What the EFF Believes In

A small march by the EFF protesting in support of land reform in South Africa.

Their Main Ideas

The EFF's ideas are inspired by Marxist–Leninist thinking and the ideas of Frantz Fanon. These ideas help them understand how countries work, how power is used, and how different groups of people interact. The EFF also looks up to Thomas Sankara, a former president of Burkina Faso, for his style and Marxist ideas.

Ideas About Money and Jobs

The EFF believes that the main political parties in South Africa have not done enough for black people. They say these parties have allowed big businesses to use black people as cheap labour.

The EFF promises to fight against corruption. They want to provide good homes for everyone, free healthcare, and free education. They also want the government to take control of mines and banks. They aim to double welfare payments and the minimum wage.

The EFF has also spoken out against black business owners in South Africa. They believe that state-owned companies should play a bigger role in the country's economy.

How They See the World

Within Africa

The EFF supports the idea of a United States of Africa. They often praise former Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi and want to use some of his ideas in South Africa. They do not want American military bases in Africa.

The EFF is very critical of the government in Eswatini, which is one of the last countries ruled by a king. They want democratic changes there and for the borders between Eswatini and South Africa to be removed.

The EFF also criticizes France's influence in Africa. In 2022, they protested outside the French embassy in South Africa. When Queen Elizabeth II died, the EFF said they would not mourn her. They stated that she never apologized for the harm her family caused to people in countries Britain had taken over.

Outside Africa

The EFF is against Zionism and strongly criticizes Israel. They believe Israel is "evil" and want to see it destroyed. During the 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas, the EFF leader, Julius Malema, said his party supported Hamas. He also said that if the EFF won the 2024 election, they would send weapons to help Hamas.

The EFF supports Russia's actions in Ukraine. They see Russia's actions as fighting against powerful countries like NATO. The party also supports South Africa sending military equipment to Russia.

The EFF wants South Africa to have stronger ties with China. They believe Taiwan is part of China. They also see the Communist Party of China as a leader for all Marxist–Leninist groups worldwide.

LGBT+ Rights

The EFF supports the rights of the LGBT+ community in Africa. They are against laws that try to ban homosexuality. They criticized Uganda's 2023 law against homosexuality and protested outside the Ugandan embassy. However, later in 2023, some LGBT+ people in South Africa criticized the EFF for inviting a professor who supported Uganda's anti-homosexuality law to speak at their event.

Who Supports the EFF?

Surveys show that many EFF supporters are young, usually under 24. Most of them are black, and more men support the party than women. A large number of supporters live in Julius Malema's home province of Limpopo. Many also live in big cities like Gauteng Province.

The EFF was expected to do well in the 2014 general election. They aimed to get between 4% and 8% of the national vote. This could have given them a lot of power in some provinces. In the end, they got 6.35% of the vote in 2014.

Important members of the EFF's main team include Floyd Shivambu, Fana Mokoena, and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. Dali Mpofu, a well-known lawyer, also joined the EFF in 2013 after being a member of the ANC for many years.

EFF for Students

The Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command (EFFSC) is the party's student group. It was started on 16 June 2015. This group works to make education free for everyone and to remove university registration fees.

How They Do in Elections

National Elections

National Assembly

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Election	Total votes	Share of vote	Seats	+/–	Government
2014	1,169,259	6.35%	25 / 400	25	in opposition
2019	1,881,521	10.79%	44 / 400	19	in opposition

National Council of Provinces

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Election	Total # of seats won	+/–
2014	7 / 90	7
2019	11 / 90	4

Provincial Elections

Municipal Elections

See also

In Spanish: Luchadores por la Libertad Económica para niños

• Black First Land First
• Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland
• Economic Freedom Party
• Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters
• Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Socialist Party of Azania
• Workers and Socialist Party