Durban - The most important and urgent freedom which would restore South Africa's humanity was economic freedom, the Economic Freedom Fighters said on Monday.
Speaking ahead of an address by EFF leader Julius Malema at a Freedom Day rally at John Dube Stadium in eThekwini, national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi told News24 that attaining economic freedom would restore peace in South Africa.
"[It is]the most important freedom, the most urgent freedom, the freedom that is going to restore our people's humanity, that is going to restore morality, that is going to restore ethics, that is going to restore peace, that is going to restore reason is economic freedom," he said.
"What does economic freedom mean? It means decent jobs where people are paid minimum wage, where their labour rights and labour laws are respected.
"It means that we have land, we restore land, it means that we have decent shelter, we have quality education, quality healthcare for all. That is economic freedom."
‘At war with itself’
Until South Africa had attained those demands, he said, the country would continue to have a society that was in conflict with itself, at war with itself, and a society that would be unable to show its humanity to visitors and the rest of the continent.
"Only if we are able to attain economic freedom, will there be lasting and meaningful and sustainable humanity and peace amongst our people."
Asked whether the EFF could gain a tangible foothold in KwaZulu-Natal, an African National Congress stronghold and the province where the party was holding its Freedom Day rally, Ndlozi said the EFF were campaigning across the country, not only in KwaZulu-Natal.
"We are campaigning. We’re not only in KZN, we are also in the Eastern Cape, we’re all over the country. EFF is the fastest growing organisation, including in KwaZulu-Natal," he said.
"That's what we hope to do - to make sure that we preach and take [the] economic freedom message in all centres of society, and KZN is part of it.
“We have seen an amazing turnout in all community meetings throughout the week. Our people are embracing, surely at a fast rate, that now is the time for economic freedom."
#EFF #FreedomDay15 - @MbuyiseniNdlozi is at the mic leading the crowd in song @News24 pic.twitter.com/5pAH8I01nN
— Jeff Wicks (@wicks_jeff) April 27, 2015
#EFF #FreedomDay15 @MbuyiseniNdlozi : "Now is the time for economic freedom!" To cheers from the stands. @News24 pic.twitter.com/URufZkkJrI
— Jeff Wicks (@wicks_jeff) April 27, 2015
#EFF #FreedomDay15 @MbuyiseniNdlozi joshing with the sound guys. "If I don't get sound from every speaker your must pay back the money"
— Jeff Wicks (@wicks_jeff) April 27, 2015