The Economic Freedom Fighters and Politics of Populism

Abstract

This study presents a novel approach to understanding the economic freedom fighters (EFF) role in South African politics. The party has been called populist, fascist, and a threat to South Africa's democracy. This study was conducted through virtual ethnography research on the role of the EFF in South Africa's politics and presents the research findings here to understand if the EFF is merely populist, a threat to democracy, or encouraging citizens' political participation. The study's findings indicate that the EFF uses populist stances to attract supporters and voters to the party. But unlike the views of some commentators and scholars, the study presents different findings regarding the EFF's populist attitudes in the country's democracy. While some see such populist stances as a threat to democracy, the study views it as the party's advantage, among others, to encourage citizen political participation.