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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as a "super-sub" in the South African Parliament: Fostering Accountability in Organised Disruptive Chaos.

Authors :
E., Yende Nsizwazonke
Source :
African Journal of Development Studies. Dec2021, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p53-72. 20p.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) came into South African politics in 2013. Its inception came when most of the prominent leaders of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), including Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu and Sindiso Magaqa, were expelled and suspended from the mother body - ANC. The EFF's emergence was aligned with a robust Sankarist and Marxist perspective from ideology to their parliamentary uniform. Furthermore, it assumed a left-wing of the working-class approach to political, governance and human rights issues, which has conspicuously been missing in postapartheid South African politics. From the public to the private sector, the party has radically sent a strong message in an unpopular fashion against labour exploitation, poor working conditions, racism and poor governance, among other social issues. Therefore, the primary purpose of this paper was to critically debate the EFF's approach to upholding the government accountable to its constitutional and developmental mandate. The article adopted a secondary research approach whereby the available literature related to the topic was reviewed and analysed. The paper concluded by arguing that, despite being disruptive in their approach, the EFF has unquestionably transformed politics and significantly influenced the course of governance in South Africa. Furthermore, it has noticeably enhanced accountability from the national to the local sphere of government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
26343630
Volume :
11
Issue :
4
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
African Journal of Development Studies
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
174228690
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.31920/2634-3649/2021/v11n4a3