• Raliphi ‘Master Push’ Xolelizwe from Chief Mogale writes:

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the country’s third-largest political party whose core ideology is socialism, is led by ANC political graduate Julius Sello Malema.

EFF leader Malema formed the EFF after being given his marching orders from the ANC by chairperson of the national disciplinary committee Derek Hanekom, which was upheld by Cyril Ramaphosa, then chairperson of the appeal committee.

The EFF participated in general elections for the first time in 2014 and held its first elective congress in the same year. The party made its mark in August 2014 when it famously called on ANC president Jacob Zuma to ‘pay back the money’ leading to the sergeant at arms being called in by speaker Baleka Mbete to remove EFF MPs from the National Assembly.

Malema wittingly emphasises charisma, exhibiting leanings towards political demagoguery. He frequently appeals to traditional moral values and to ideas of national grandeur.

The main distinction is that Malema emphasises ideas of persecution and the need for revenge. The unique selling position of his political party to remove the ANC from power. The ANC’s drop below 50% nationally in local government elections is a good opportunity for the red berets.

The ANC lost the City of Joburg (financial services capital of Gauteng), Tshwane (financial services seat of government and world embassies), eThekwini (seaport capital and world tourism destination), Gqeberha (motor city and tourism destination) and Ekurhuleni (aerotropolis manufacturing and industrial centre) to the DA, with the help of the EFF.

DA became the winner of these local elections. The DA is not the king, it is the court jester and will have to perform to will of the EFF now, or face the same fate that it did in 2016’s disastrous council in Mogale City.

This to me, was a worse fate for the DA conservatives than merely being an effective opposition again. They may not have asked for it and were opposed to it, but the DA has submitted themselves to the EFF. Its a sad situation when a liberal party consciously submits to the country’s Stalinists.

The outcome of the November 1 local government elections represents a serious reversal for the progressive movement and a significant advance for the right-wing forces.