EFFSC takes a stand at Society Introduction Week

The Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) took part in the annual North-West University (NWU) Society Introduction Week at the Potchefstroom Campus, which is intended to allow different student societies to market themselves.

The organisation praised the NWU for allowing societies to formally mobilise members and to market themselves without being victimised.

Tristan Bourne, chairperson of the council of societies, said the aim of Society Introduction Week is to create awareness. In this way, students have the opportunity to find a space on campus to associate and socialise with people who share the same mindset and views.

EFFSC treasurer Tshidiso Taeli said the EFFSC is a militant and radical organisation that believes in economic freedom intertwined with free education, as stated in the “non-negotiable” seven pillars in their manifesto.

Taeli said the EFFSC’s mandate and programme of action at the NWU are to scrap the language policy, which he said seeks to oppress students of colour and exclude them from getting a quality education.

Taeli further said his association wants free and well-resourced education for every student regardless of race.

He said the NWU policy does not correspond with what the EFFSC believes in. They are striving to also do away with the translation services offered in classes, and eradicate the hostel culture.

The organisation, furthermore wants the NWU to adopt a 50/50 admission policy in the residences for the sake of black students. “This will permit black students to live in a residence that is closer to the university, as most of them come from poor family backgrounds,” he said.

According to Taeli, the EFFSC is more than a political organisation because they attempt to build and support one another in terms of making sure that black students get access to the university, get a degree, and change their lives and that of their respective communities. 

He urged NWU students to join the EFFSC to bring about change.

Echoing the same sentiments was the EFFSC’s deputy secretary, Boitumelo Phadi, who said being a member of EFFSC is about advocating for student rights and ensuring that every student is able to fit in the privileged bracket.

Phadi said EFFSC’s primary goal is to see students rise and become the best they can be. “We are all from different parts of the country and different backgrounds; we need to feel accommodated and safe here. So as the EFFSC, we try to breach that divide and ensure that students are comfortable and able to pursue their studies,” Phadi said.

Challenges always arise where organisations are involved, and the EFFSC is not an exception. Phadi said in advocating for black students’ rights, the biggest challenge is the black students themselves. There is no unity among them, as some feel other people’s problems do not affect them; thus creating a huge divide. 

The EFFSC NWU Potchefstroom is a non-racial and non-sexist organisation and in 2019 it was hailed as the best political association at the NWU.