Johannesburg - The EFF has hit the ground running as it kicked off its process of putting up posters and voter registration drives in one of the poorest townships on in Gauteng, Alexandra, on Friday as the party prepares to launch its election manifesto.
EFF leader Julius Malema was leading the campaign in Alexandra, where he was putting up posters.
The party said all ground forces must intensify election work through community meetings with the people.
South Africans are going to the polls on November 1, in line with the decision of the highest court in the land.
Malema and other party leaders and supporters were moving around the streets of Alexandra, putting up posters for the EFF elections manifesto launch, which will take place at Gandhi Square in Johannesburg CBD on 26 September.
EFF head of presidency Sina Sinawo Tambo said preparations are going well.
“As the EFF, we have long decided that we are not going to subscribe to the laws that are going to subject us to not to campaign while the ruling party ANC is continuing with its election campaign and going ahead with its regional conferences. The EFF has activated its election machinery.
“We are with our CIC to show that he is on the ground, and we are not going to command his ground forces to do things that he cannot do himself. We are going to be (putting posters), doing door-to-door, engaging with our people and telling them that in this coming local government elections they must vote for the EFF in order to improve their lives,” said Tambo.
When asked how the EFF will ensure Covid-19 regulations, including social distancing, would be maintained at the manifesto launch, Tambo said they are tired of the hypocrisy seemingly on lockdown regulations and fear of Covid-19 only seems to apply to political activities.
“We are going to encourage our people to wear masks, we are going to have sanitisers on the ground, but we are going to engage in a full-out election campaign because when you call for elections, you must be mindful that the only way for them to be democratic, free and fair is when there is thorough engagement with the people who seek to be elected by them.
“We are going to try our best to ensure that regulations are adhered to, but in an election, it's a crazy time, it's a place and time in which we must engage our people in a manner in which they see fit and in a manner in which we see fit as well, we can’t go to a war and be told how to fight it, so the EFF is going to go all out in this regard,” said Tambo.
Malema said he would speak later. He did not have time as he was busy with EFF groundwork.
Political Bureau