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- The EFF launched its 2021 elections manifesto on Sunday.
- Among the promises made by the party was that should citizens vote for it, all EFF led municipalities would priorities land redistribution and the implementation of a wealth tax to subsidise indigent families.
- The red berets will be contesting their second local government elections on 1 November, having taken part in the 2016 municipal elections.
Julius Malema has told thousands of supporters that the ground was fertile for an EFF takeover as most South Africans had reached a point of frustration with the ANC's continued failings.
Malema was speaking on Sunday at the party's manifesto launch held at Gandhi Square in the Johannesburg CBD, outside the party's new offices called Winnie Mandela House.
The EFF leader promised that should South Africans vote it into power, EFF-led municipalities would conduct land audits, redistribute land and introduce a wealth tax to subsidise indigent families.
READ | Elections 2021: All you need to know
"Nobody has a monopoly over the liberation of our people. Today the ANC has sold out the liberation and our people have grown disheartened by them. The launch of the manifesto is significant because it is through this manifesto that the EFF will ascend to power and take over many municipalities in South Africa," said Malema.
Malema added that the party's manifesto was based on many observations that the EFF had made about the state of local government in South Africa over a long period of time.
"Our manifesto is based on a truthful observation that many people in South Africa still do not have access to water. Our people do not have electricity... our people do not have access to quality primary healthcare.
"It is on this basis that we make the clarion call here on the 26th of September 2021 that we want our land and jobs manje (now)," said the EFF leader.
As a means of addressing the numerous challenges identified by the party, Malema said should the EFF be elected into office, it would ensure that "every EFF municipality will conduct [a] land audit of its municipal areas to determine true land ownership details of every piece of land in the municipality, ascertain current land use, and expropriate abandoned and unused land for redistribution to the landless".
He also added that "every EFF municipality would formalise all informal settlements under its jurisdiction and ensure that these areas are provided with services and properly zoned to ensure that houses can be built in these areas in short to medium term".
These promises were met by ululation and applause from the thousands of EFF supporters in attendance.
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Beyond the land audits and redistribution of unused land, Malema also vowed that "every EFF municipality would develop agricultural land protection by-laws to ensure that land suitable for agricultural purposes would not be used for any other purpose, but only for agricultural activities".
He also promised that EFF-led municipalities would procure food from emerging farmers, while also ensuring that every EFF municipality established municipal-owned abattoirs "to support and source produce from mainly black-owned livestock farming enterprises and ensure that these enterprises are provided with extension support services".
Malema also promised indigent families, that, should they vote for the red berets, every EFF municipality would "implement a property wealth tax to subsidise them".
"EFF municipalities will impose property wealth tax in order to subsidise the poor. Dali Mpofu will be the first victims since we live in plush suburbs," said Malema.
He added that he too lived in the affluent suburb of Sandton and was also prepared to pay the wealth tax.
This is to be the EFF's second municipal elections.
In its inaugural elections, the EFF garnered 8.2% of the vote and had since improved in the national elections in 2019, where the party received 10.80% of the vote.
