3 years ago
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- The EFF's central command is concerned by the performance of the party's public representatives.
- It is believed that laziness has crept in, which drastically undermines how public representatives work.
- The EFF will be requesting updates from its MPs, MPLs and councillors on the work they are doing.
The EFF's central command team says a worrying sense of laziness is creeping into how its public representatives conduct themselves.
Its highest decision-making body did some introspection over the weekend on the strides made by the party as the EFF prepares to celebrate 10 years since its formation.
As such, the party's leadership has resolved to "nip in the bud" such "unacceptable behaviour before it festers".
EFF leader Julius Malema held a press briefing on Monday to report back on the outcomes of the central command meeting.
"As we mark 10 years of service to the principles embodied by our founding manifesto, the EFF's central command team noted with concern the unsatisfactory performance of public representatives in Parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councils as the impact on governance is no longer as impactful as it once was. The vibrancy is no longer there," said Malema.
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He said the central command had resolved to hold public representatives accountable for what they did to impact the lives of the communities they served.
Malema said it would be a two-pronged approach, with the party considering what MPs, MPLs and councillors did in both the corridors of government and in communities.
"This means we want verifiable reports from schools, clinics and informal settlements they have adopted, reports of insourcing motions they have tabled in the municipal councils, and community meetings they have held to give reports and take mandates as servants of the people.
"We want to see them leading service delivery protests," said the EFF leader.
He was emphatic in saying that "there is some level of laziness that has crept in, and people are no longer doing things they used to do".
He added: "We have experienced some level of deterioration, and we have to nip it in the bud before it becomes a serious problem."
He even claimed that some MPs were in the pockets of particular ministers, which was why they were not asking "the tough questions".
Malema's briefing came after a three-day central command team meeting from Friday to Sunday, during which the party's leadership did a deep introspection into the path the EFF had traversed since its formation on 26 July 2013.
Malema said a lot had been accomplished, but the party could not afford to start slacking now.
He added that the EFF was no longer a government in waiting, and it was not fully participating in governance in major metros and municipalities across the country.
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According to Malema, various topics of national importance were also discussed, such as President Cyril Ramaphosa centralising numerous portfolios under his office.
"We reiterated our call that Parliament must establish a dedicated portfolio or standing committee to oversee the president and the Presidency as a whole. The president has centralised a lot of functions in his office, and there is no dedicated work to oversee the work he does.
"It is, therefore, long overdue that a separate committee must be established to oversee the president, and that does not require a study tour to determine. There is absolutely no need to take a study tour to Britain to study how a president must be held accountable," said Malema.
Ramaphosa, in 2021, did away with the ministry of state security and moved the State Security Agency under the Presidency.
This year, Ramaphosa introduced an electricity minister, under the Presidency, as well as housing the ministry of planning, monitoring and evaluation in his office.
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