A white EFF member from Jeffreys Bay has come out in defense of the party, saying it fights against white supremacy and not white people. Christiaan Hendrik Nicolaas Carstens, 25, told IOL that he is tired of claims that the EFF hates white people and wants to kill them.
Carstens, who is involved in political education and recruitment for the EFF in the Eastern Cape, said the primary misconception is that the EFF hates white people and wants to slaughter them in a mass genocide. He said the EFF is not against white people, but rather against white supremacy and white monopoly capital.
Understanding the Struggles of Black People
Carstens said the only group of white people who can come close to understanding the struggles of black people are poor white people and staunch white patriots. He has been bullied since joining the party about two years ago, with most of the bullying coming from fellow white people who cannot accept the idea of a young white person joining Malema’s movement.
According to Carstens, his political journey started at home from a young age. He grew up in Jeffreys Bay and had a middle-class upbringing in a household interested in history, politics, and culture. His parents encouraged him to think for himself, and he became interested in politics while in school. He had black friends from primary school to high school and later obtained a BA Honours degree in Political and Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela University.
From ANC to EFF
Carstens said his academic path took him to the ANC and the SA Communist Party, but he left the ANC alliance because he believed a party of the working class must be totally independent in practice and in theory — rooted in Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy. He saw this principle manifest in the EFF and not in the SACP.
Some of the key points Carstens made about the EFF include:
- The EFF is not against white people, but against white supremacy and white monopoly capital.
- The party fights for the rights of all South Africans, regardless of race.
- Carstens has faced extreme criticism, horrible and inflammatory insults, and the worst kind of bullying since joining the party.
For more information on the EFF and its policies, visit the Economic Freedom Fighters website.
