EFF cannot see beyond race

No, we do not expect the "Economic" Freedom Fighters to understand how an economy works, despite its misleading name, says the writer.
No, we do not expect the "Economic" Freedom Fighters to understand how an economy works, despite its misleading name, says the writer.
Image: Thulani Mbele

On Thursday the EFF issued another of its trademark statements, making it clear to all that racism, violence and a complete lack of understanding of basic economics are central to its philosophy.

“In order to register our disdain for the arrival of white settlers in South Africa on April 6 1652, which is the day when the problems of Africans began, the EFF will engage in a direct confrontation with Johann Rupert by marching to the stolen land he claims to own.” The party wrote. 

The EFF appears to believe that the time before the arrival of the white man was some sort of pre-colonial paradise, and not the blood-soaked battlefield it actually was. Not only does it apparently believe in a fiction, but to add to the confusion, seems to hold the likes of Rupert to blame for the loss of this fictional paradise, as he resides on "stolen" land.

Let’s briefly forget about the constitutional right of citizens of all races to own property – a right which is, incidentally, the very foundation of SA’s economy.

No, we do not expect the "Economic" Freedom Fighters to understand how an economy works, despite its misleading name. For it the fanatical focus is, as always, on race and race alone.

Central to its world view is the idea that the economy is a sort of physical object being hoarded by whites to the detriment of blacks, rather than a system which is a shared cultural artifact founded on the drive and ambition of the individual, regardless of race.

No, the EFF clearly has little time for understanding or finding actual solutions – it simply wants us to fight one another, based on the colour of our skin.

Justin Cole, email

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