Ann Bernstein and Trudi Makhaya on the Economic Freedom Fighters
Channel: SACSIS
Date: 2014-11-21

At a recent event hosted by SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in which we explored “left, right and centre” views on South Africa’s economic development, a journalist snuck in a question about the panel’s views on the Economic Freedom Fighters.

It was interesting to hear what Ann Bernstein of the Centre for Development and Enterprise and Trudi Makhaya, economic analyst at eNCA Africa, had to say about the new political party.

Bernstein argued that while the media has fallen in love with the drama and spectacle of the EFF, she personally, was puzzled by the party.

Trudi Makhaya said that she was intrigued by black middle class professionals who voted for the EFF and what that means about the need for alternatives. Makhaya referred to the EFF’s manifesto as “plain vanilla”.