OPINION | The EFF stands with oppressed masses rising against the vicious grip of Western imperialism

The EFF's third National People’s Assembly’s discussion document on Pan-Africanism and Internationalism stands against the crumbling yet vicious grip of Western imperialism and neoliberal tyranny.

As the global order fractures and multipolarity rises, the EFF makes it clear: the struggle for SA’s true economic liberation is bound to the broader war against global capitalist exploitation. Our fight is part of a global revolution against imperialist oppressors who seek to keep the Global South in chains.

For too long, Western powers have bled the Global South dry, using the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank as economic weapons to impose austerity, strip sovereignty, and plunge nations into perpetual debt.

These instruments of economic warfare are designed to keep Africa impoverished and dependent.

France continues to exploit West and Central Africa, enforcing neocolonial pacts and unleashing military forces to crush any hint of independence; the US maintains key military bases on the continent; England, Germany and many others remain interested in the continued wars in the DRC to benefit from the minerals; while the UAE is invested in pushing the genocide in Sudan to exploit its oil. The EFF vehemently rejects this continued subjugation.

However, the world is shifting, and the era of unchallenged Western hegemony is crumbling. The rise of China and Russia signals a multipolar world where the Global South can finally break free from the suffocating grip of US-led imperialism.

While China’s initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative bring critical infrastructure and investment to Africa, the EFF remains vigilant: we will not allow any new form of economic exploitation. Our alliances must be rooted in mutual benefit, not in replicating the extractive relationships of the past.

Russia’s resurgence also offers a powerful counterweight to Western aggression, and SA’s place in Brics provides a strategic frontline to dismantle the dominance of the IMF and World Bank. Brics must become a revolutionary vehicle to build alternative financial institutions that serve the masses, not capitalist elites.

Looking to Latin America, nations such as Venezuela, Cuba, and Bolivia have defied US imperialism. The resurgence of leftist movements across Latin America is a beacon for the world, showing that neoliberal tyranny can be crushed. The EFF stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these revolutionary struggles, calling for deepened South-South cooperation that puts people before profit.

The EFF is ready to lead SA and the Global South into a new era – one where the oppressed rise, the imperialists fall, and true economic freedom becomes reality. Of particular focus in our discussion document is the liberation of Palestine, Western Sahara, and eSwatini.

The EFF stands in unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinian people. Their struggle is our struggle. Israel apartheid state must be dismantled, and the land returned to its rightful owners. We have consistently demanded the immediate expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from SA, stood with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, marched on the Israeli embassy and lent our voice to the Palestinians at every opportunity.

Similarly, the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco is a festering wound on the African continent, a stark reminder that colonialism is not dead. The EFF will not stand idly by while the Moroccan regime – emboldened by Western complicity – continues its brutal subjugation of the Sahrawi people.

The illegal occupation, which began in 1975 after Spain’s retreat, is an affront to every value of self-determination and decolonisation that Africa holds dear.

The Sahrawi people are being displaced, their resources plundered, and their voices silenced – all while the so-called “international community” turns a blind eye. Just as the world rallied to dismantle apartheid, so too must it rise to end this occupation, along with the occupation of Palestine.

In eSwatini, the EFF stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the oppressed masses who are rising against the brutal monarchy of King Mswati III. This is not just a local struggle – it is part of the broader fight to dismantle every last vestige of autocracy and neo-colonial dictatorship in Africa.

The system of absolute monarchy is an insult to the very idea of human dignity. While King Mswati and his cronies live in obscene luxury, the people of eSwatini are shackled by poverty, their voices silenced by violent repression. Political parties are banned. Dissent is crushed with brutal force. The media is muzzled. This is not governance, it is tyranny, a neo-colonial dictatorship that enriches a royal elite while the masses suffer.

The EFF’s vision is clear: Africa will be free, and Western imperialism will end. The liberation of Palestine, Western Sahara and the democratisation of Eswatini are not distant dreams – they are battles we must fight now.

• Gardee is an EFF member of parliament