The unveiling of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 2019 Manifesto Under the theme “Our land and jobs now” finally took place at Giant Stadium in Soshanguve on Saturday. EFF leader Julius Malema acknowledges the social ills that South Africans are facing and promised changes under the EFF leadership:
Below are some of the important nuggets from Juju’s speech:
- Land
All land will be under the custodianship of the state, for equal redistribution to all. The EFF government will redistribute land in a manner that is demographically representative, meaning that black people will accordingly control the majority of the land, as they constitute the majority in South Africa.
- Employment
The EFF government will pass legislation that ensures a minimum wage of R4 500 across the board for all full-35 time workers and will fight that each of the following sectors accordingly receives the stipulated minimum wage:
- Mineworkers: R12 500 per month
- Farm workers: R5 000 per month
- Manufacturing workers: R6 500 per month
- Retail workers: R5 000 per month
- Builders: R7 000 per month
- Petrol attendants: R6 500 per month
- Cleaners: R4 500 per month
- Domestic workers: R5 000 per month
- Private security guards: R7 500 per month
- Full-time waiters and waitresses: R4 500 per month.
- Corruption
The EFF government will introduce a minimum sentence of 20 years for all public representatives and servants convicted of corruption. The EFF government will also amend the Constitution to make the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) a constitutional institution accountable to Parliament to guarantee its independence in the fight against corruption and crime in general.
- Youth Development
The EFF government will pass legislation that will ensure that all government departments and all public institutions spend 50% of their procurement budget on youth-owned businesses.
- Crime
The EFF government will employ an additional 100 000 police officers by 2023 and impose strict rules on gun ownership and will aggressively recover illegal guns. The EFF promises that it will purchase an additional 7 000 police vehicles by 2022, on condition that 50% of all parts are made in South Africa. The EFF will further give rewards for citizens who submit evidence depicting alleged criminal activities, including drug dealing, social crimes and domestic violence and racism shall be declared a punishable criminal offence.
- Education
The EFF government will increase the use of information and communication technology for teaching, with the aim of achieving universal coverage in computer literacy by 2024. Under the EFF, each learner will get a tablet loaded with all necessary study material, tutorials and educational videos. The EFF government will cancel all student debt, re-integrate all students who were excluded on the basis of fees and give certificates, diplomas and degrees to all students who passed and were denied their qualifications because of outstanding fees. The EFF further will provide free accommodation for students at institutions of higher learning and will quadruple the number of rooms available by 2023.
- Health
The EFF government will build specialised hospitals for the following disease categories: tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular diseases, heart disease, hypertensive diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases and ischaemic heart diseases. All clinics under the EFF government will be open 24 hours a day.
- People with disabilities
The EFF government will ensure that each and every public institution such as hospitals, police stations, home affairs offices, labour offices, and social development offices have at least two people who are trained at and understand sign language to cater for people who cannot speak. Under the EFF government will ensure that the public transport system is accessible to people with disabilities.
- Mining
The EFF government will nationalise all mines and mineral wealth in South Africa by the year 2023. The EFF Government will track all ex-mineworkers or their close family members and ensure that each and every one of them gain access to their pension funds.
- Financial Sector
The EFF government will nationalise the South African Reserve Bank and discontinue its private ownership. The EFF will increase ownership of shares in the JSE by black people, Africans in particular, to 30% by the year 2022.
