In a move that honors the memories of those who fought against apartheid, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has declined the African National Congress’s (ANC) invitation to join a Government of National Unity (GNU). President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the ANC’s decision to form a GNU aimed at uniting the nation behind economic growth, job creation, and combating crime and corruption. However, EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu emphasized that the post-1994 GNU under Nelson Mandela’s leadership failed to improve the lives of the black majority.
Shivambu reiterated the EFF’s opposition to a GNU, refusing to collaborate with parties representing white colonial interests, such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus). The EFF demands prioritization of economic involvement, land ownership, free education, workers’ rights, and minimum wage enforcement as conditions for considering participation in a coalition government.
The EFF has engaged in preliminary discussions with the ANC and is scheduled for further meetings to discuss the proposed GNU. The party’s leadership convened to discuss the election outcome and potential coalition participation. The EFF remains committed to its supporters and the anti-apartheid struggle, rejecting any government that includes “land thieves” and beneficiaries of colonialism and apartheid.
