EFF Founding Manifesto
Editorial Note: The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African revolutionary movement and political party dedicated to economic liberation. It was founded in Soweto in July 2013 and was formally launched at a rally in Marikana in October of that year under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief, Julius Malema . For the EFF, economic freedom means the majority historically subjected to oppression, colonization, and exploitation must own, control, and benefit from the natural and economic resources of the society to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Of particular concern is food security, sustainable jobs, and humane living conditions. The Founding Manifesto, linked below, was adopted on July 26 and 27, 2013 and comprehensively explicates the historical foundations of dispossession and fightback in South Africa, the current conditions that continue the disempowerment of Africans after the end of apartheid in 1994, the political realities that perpetuate kleptocracy and punish those who pursue an alternative to ruling party hegemony, the character, ideology, and objectives of the EFF, and the Party’s strategic mission and supporting pillars. The manifesto concludes with the following promise: “THESE FREEDOMS WE WILL FIGHT FOR, SIDE BY SIDE THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES UNTIL WE HAVE WON OUR (ECONOMIC) LIBERTY… We are the generation of Economic Freedom Fights and our mission is attainment of Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime.”