The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is disruptive, divisive and gaining in popularity. HuffPost takes you inside the party and along on its journey since inception almost five years ago.
1. Mbuyiseni Ndlozi Interview: 'Whites Are Scared Of An Equal Society'
White people are scared of an equal society and that's why they are opposed to it, says EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. In a wide-ranging interview with HuffPost about the party, its policies and its future, Ndlozi said the EFF is not running a "genocide project" but a "freedom and equality" project. Read more.
2.Why The EFF Is A Fascist Political Party
Following EFF leader Julius Malema's recent comment that he intended to "cut the throat of whiteness" by removing Democratic Alliance mayor Athol Trollip in Nelson Mandela Bay, Gareth van Onselen wrote on March 7 that the EFF leader "can rightly be described as a fascist". In this follow-up article, he draws on 14 of Italian philosopher Umberto Eco's "features of facism" to further support his statement. Read more.
3.What The Numbers Tell Us About EFF Support
The EFF's provincial conveners in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape say the party is primed and ready to make inroads into the electorate when South Africa goes to the polls next year. Read more.
4.How An EFF Government Will Manage Land
Ndlozi says there will be no forced removals if the Constitution is amended to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. Read more.
5.The EFF: South Africa's Curious Creature
The EFF continues to puzzle South Africans. The party has been variously described as populist, fascist, Africanist, racial nationalist and an externalised faction of the African National Congress (ANC). Some regard the EFF as little more than Malema's personal political vehicle. No one has been misguided enough to categorise them as liberal, yet during the long haul in Parliament to oust Jacob Zuma as president, it did not hesitate to pursue legal action through the courts. Read more.
6.WATCH: EFF: Yup, We'll Get More Votes In 2019
7. Firebrand Malema 'Must Move To The Centre' If He Wants To Challenge For Power
Known for his controversial, ultra-left and radical political statements, Malema has become a force to be reckoned with in South Africa's political arena. Read more.
8. We're In The Market For A Coalition Partner, EFF Purrs
The EFF is in the market for a suitor after next year's general election. Ndlozi told HuffPost that the only reason the party has not entered into a formal coalition yet is because no other political party agrees with its ideology. Read more.
9. Love The Red Berets... Not So Sure About The Kidi Amin Get-Up
The EFF is not even five years old, but it has cut a seismic path across South Africa's political landscape and is admired in many African countries. This is because of its youthful zest, political costumes and posture, and for the way the party has made an impact on the country despite holding just 6.35 percent of the national vote. Read more.
10. Nelson Mandela Bay: The EFF's Power Gamble
By not committing itself to any coalition government, the EFF holds sway in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane. The phenomenon is known as a "confidence and supply deal" in the United Kingdom. It is aimed at helping a coalition government pass budgets, legislation and important decisions of national good in Parliament. But the EFF abuses the phenomenon to impose its policies on the DA. Read more.
11. Auditing EFF Policy: Has The Party Stuck To Its Guns?
The EFF has seven non-negotiable cardinal pillars around which its actions and policy decisions revolve. Five years since its inception, has the party kept to its core mandate? It is heading for its second general election in 2019, having had considerably more time to flex its political muscle than in 2014. Then, after just one year as a political party, the EFF secured 6.35 percent of the national vote, using these seven pillars to rally support. Read more.
12. WATCH: Expropriation Without Compensation: It's Not About Punishing Whites