JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Hundreds were arrested for public violence, homes were petrol-bombed, and trains and buses attacked as South Africa’s third-largest political movement fired the first shots in what it pledged would be a “revolution” that would soon sweep the African National Congress (ANC) out of power.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accuses the ANC, which has ruled since apartheid ended in 1994, of abandoning the country’s millions of poor black people in favor of “climbing into bed with white capitalists” and appeasing white taxpayers.
The EFF’s policies include seizure of land owned by white citizens for “redistribution” to impoverished blacks and “nationalization” of banks. If it comes to power, it says, there will only be room in South Africa for white people “who know their place.”
EFF leader Julius Malema has named his “heroes” as deceased Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Venezuelan autocrat Hugo Chavez. Both are considered to have collapsed their respective economies by means of disastrous economic policies that included nationalization of institutions such as banks.
In Mugabe’s case, his confiscation of white-owned farms hastened the implosion of Zimbabwe’s economy, and it has never recovered. From being a food-secure, “breadbasket” of Africa, hyper-inflation and hunger are now common in the Southern African nation.
The ZANU-PF party rules by fear, often using security apparatus to kill, torture, and imprison opponents.
Malema and the EFF are staunch supporters of ZANU-PF, as well as Russia and China. According to several polls, the EFF is the fastest-growing political party in South Africa, as increasing numbers of black people embrace the party’s radical messaging and promises of overnight prosperity.
“Malema is a very charismatic figure, and his promises are indeed very attractive to many who wake up and go to sleep hungry every day,” independent political analyst and governance expert Professor Sandile Swana told The Epoch Times.
“One can see from the ANC state’s response to the EFF protests this week that it considers the EFF to be a credible threat come the elections next year. One of their targets was to highlight the necessity for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove himself as state president of South Africa. In response to the proposed regime change, the government released 3,400 soldiers and thousands of police onto the streets and into the townships. If there was no realistic threat that Ramaphosa could be removed this week, those soldiers and cops would’ve stayed in their barracks and stations.”
Swana said the government can dismiss the EFF-instigated demonstrations as much as it wants, but its actions show it’s “terrified” of the undercurrent of dissatisfaction running through South Africa.
“The EFF’s complaints against the ANC are shared by most South Africans: The ANC is, indeed, corrupt. The ANC is, indeed, incompetent. The ANC is, indeed, running the country into the ground—so much so that we often don’t have electricity and water. Unemployment is, indeed, the highest it has ever been. Violent crime is, indeed, the worst it has ever been.”
On Saturday a judge granted chief opposition party the Democratic Alliance an interdict aimed at preventing the EFF from illegal activities related to its protests. The police and army displayed heavy weaponry and began patrolling the skies in helicopters.
They were especially visible at shopping centers, airports, parliament in Cape Town and the government’s seat of power in Pretoria, the Union Buildings.
Police minister Bheki Cele told reporters his officers would not allow a “few troublemakers” to hold a country to ransom.
“We’re monitoring the situation throughout the country and will act swiftly and decisively against any threats of disruptions. There will be high police visibility the whole week. Anyone who intimidates and stops anyone from going to work, barricades the roads and highways, and uses any form of violence, will face the full might of the law.”
Shortly afterwards Malema made a defiant speech to thousands of supporters in Soweto, near Johannesburg.
“We have no money, we have no weapons, no machine guns; we only have the bodies of African people to put on the picket lines!” he shouted. “Whether they kill us or they don’t kill us, we will be on the streets of South Africa. We don’t care what the security cluster says; we don’t care what a judge says. No one can stop a revolution that’s time has come!”
Malema had called for a “national shutdown,” warning “all businesses,” including banks, factories, shopping malls, and transport services to remain closed, or face “consequences.”
The Ramaphosa administration said the EFF was trying to instigate “regime change.” It accused the party of intimidating South Africans to either stay at home this week, or join in violence against the state.
The response to the EFF’s threats and intimidation has been a backlash from civil society, courts, and security forces. It turned the party’s “shutdown” into a “let-down,” as one government minister described it.
Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed to cities and towns, prompting citizens to question why the ANC doesn’t do this regularly to protect them from criminals.
Most workplaces and major roads have remained open.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshaveni, did, however, tell The Epoch Times EFF supporters have engaged in “criminality.”
“Julius is predictable. His strategy is always anarchy and violence,” she said. “The EFF has bombed the homes of opponents. It has tried to block roads with burning tires. The police have so far confiscated more than 30,000 tires across the country. They have attacked trains. But compared with what they promised, their shutdown was a monumental failure.”
Police had arrested almost 600 people on charges including assault and damage to “critical infrastructure” by Tuesday. Malema blames “agents provocateurs” and “third forces” for the violence.
Most areas ignored the EFF’s shutdown call. In Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, community leader, Loyiso Toyiya, said the EFF was not welcome.
“We can’t be supporting political parties who want to grandstand! At the expense of our people, you’re shutting down our community! What about those who have a little job to feed their families? But someone wants to wake up and shut down our economy because of political egos. We cannot allow that as a community. In Diepsloot, it’s business as usual!” he told The Epoch Times.
One of the few places where it wasn’t “business as usual” was the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
There, a few thousand EFF supporters called for Ramaphosa to resign because of his “corruption” and “partnership with white capitalism.”
But even some EFF officials told The Epoch Times they were disappointed by the support their attempted shutdown attracted. Yet, when the TV cameras rolled, Malema called it “the greatest protest in South African history” and claimed credit for organizing “peaceful demonstrations.”
He downplayed the relatively low numbers of people that backed the EFF’s actions.
“During apartheid, struggle activities have been smaller than this. There’s never been these big gatherings. The struggle has never been a festival of a lot of people.”
In fact, shutdowns during apartheid were supported by millions.
Swana said if there’s going to be a popular uprising against the ANC, it won’t happen this week. He added, however, that it’s “incorrect” to measure the success or failure of the EFF’s protest in numbers.
“The EFF action, while not as widespread and intense as expected, largely due to the presence of many security forces, is still significant,” he said. “It’s significant because it’s a warning to the ANC… This time not from a sector of politics that the ANC has previously dismissed as ‘white-dominated,’ but from a black party that’s angry messaging is resonating among the marginalized black majority.”
