The Economic Freedom Fighters’ election campaign will be ramped up when it launches its manifesto in eThekwini where a sea of red expected to pack the stadium to the rafters.
The launch comes a week after the latest Ipsos poll showed the EFF is on a growth trajectory and could dislodge the Democratic Alliance (DA) as the official opposition.
Its support has been growing at national level since it was formed in 2013.
During the 2014 national elections the EFF got 6.35% of the vote. But this increased to 10.80% during the 2019 elections;
At its election manifesto launch in Pretoria in February 2019, the EFF promised it would scrap the tender system once elected into power.
The party also said education would be free and compulsory, and this would be from school level right up to university. The minimum pass mark of 50% would be introduced at school.
The government’s current 30% pass mark has been slated by political parties.
During the 2021 local government elections, the EFF got 10.54% of the votes. This was an increase from 8.31% of the votes it received n the 2016 local government elections.
In its manifesto launch in 2021 ahead of the local government elections the EFF promised to do land audits in municipalities it would control and distribute abandoned or unused land to the landless.
The EFF said it would also introduce a wealth tax and subsidise the indigent.
On Saturday, the EFF is at Moses Mabhida stadium to launch its manifesto ahead of the national elections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is yet to announce the election date.
The issue of land expropriation without compensation has been at the centre of EFF policies.
The ANC in parliament voted against the motion on the expropriation of land without compensation in 2018.
In its campaign in 2019 the EFF promised that it would double the social grants received by millions of people.
Currently, there were 18 million people who receive the old age, disability, child support, foster care and other grants. There were also eight million people who were beneficiaries of the R350 Social relief of Distress grant.
Political parties have called for government to increase the SRD grant, which was introduced during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
As it prepares to launch its manifesto in eThekwini on Saturday, the EFF has said it aims to push for more votes in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
In Gauteng it is in coalition with the ANC in two key metros, the City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
The EFF was in coalition with the IFP in several municipalities in KZN, but the party pulled out of the coalitions after a fallout.
The EFF said it wants to control the provinces of Gauteng and KZN.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
IOL Politics