Black Twitter went after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with #EFFFacts – exaggerating the role the party has played in South African and even global history. Things escalated after a dispute on who started #FeesMustFall.
We’ve got the tea.
National spokesperson of the EFF Student Command, Naledi Chirwa tweeted that fallism was initiated by the party when it called for the Louis Botha statue at the Union Buildings to fall in Parliament.
We must also note that fallism/#MustFall was initiated by the EFF in parliament when they were calling for Botha’s statue to fall. Yep.
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017
Chirwa didn’t stop there. She tweeted that the EFF played a major role in the wave of student activism that called for decolonisation. She said the party gave student activists in institutions like Wits, UCT, Rhodes and UP confidence. Chirwa said that it is no coincidence that institutions transitioned from silent demonstrations to shutdowns the year the EFF got into parliament.
It’s therefore disingenuous to alienate the EFF and it’s role in the 2015 student activism wave that called for decolonisation and #FMF
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017
I maintain, the EFF inspired FMF and the current wave of Fallism. EFF invigorated confidence in youth politics. Go argue with your friends.
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017
Fallists were having none of it.
UCT fallists called Chirwa out, saying FMF originated from Rhodes Must Fall which began in March 2015 and that she cannot impose her own ideas of what inspired fallists.
[3] Naledi, for you to TELL PEOPLE what inspired them and lead to the formation of RMF (and thus this “wave” of fallism) is pure arrogance
— Wandile (@Wandile_Dlamini) August 23, 2017
Of course, many smaller universities had been shutting down for years anyway.
Then there were institutions that were shutting down for years, before EFF and before the term fallism was coined. UKZN, WSU, Forte Hare…
— Nolwazi Tusini (@NolwAzi_Tusini) August 23, 2017
Seeing the error in her tweets, Chirwa apologised.
Many comrades also found it problematic that I said EFF inspired student activists. Felt that was erasure of other movements.
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017
Erasure was not the intention. I feel very strongly about it. Acknowledging the role of the EFF was in no way erasing other formations
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017
But Black Twitter couldn’t let it go. To our utter amusement, folks stayed extra and brought out all the spice exaggerating the role the party has played in history.
Did you know, the EFF existed even before 1652?
Shaka Zulu was actually killed in 1828 just after he founded the EFF … The Spear, people, The Spear #EFFfacts pic.twitter.com/8FQ2jNWrri
— Aldrin Sampear (@AldrinSampear) August 23, 2017
Actually, Jan Van Riebeck only found the Cape AFTER the EFF mentioned it #EFFFacts
— Law&PopCulture (@Busisiwe_Deyi) August 23, 2017
Let no one deny the EFF’s struggle credentials.
The EFF wrote the freedom charter#EFFFacts
— Lit Lips (@mithisa_motho) August 23, 2017
Did you know that Naledi Cwirha alongside Simamkele Dlakavu lead the 1956 anti-pass Women’s March? #EFFFacts
— Phaks Photh’inja (@LwaziPakade) August 23, 2017
Did you know that Umkhonto WeSizwe was the military wing of the EFF? #EFFFacts
— Woman Without Chains (@Thabi_Myeni) August 23, 2017
Or the way they saved Tata’s life.
Let us not forget that Nelson Mandela was spared the death sentence after the EFF intervened #EFFFacts
— Law&PopCulture (@Busisiwe_Deyi) August 23, 2017
But the EFF have not only been doing their good work in our country; their work extends to the Cold War and even influenced former US President Barack Obama himself.
Did you know, before promising to physically remove E-TOLLS, the EFF collapsed the Berlin Wall in November 9, 1989. #EFFFacts
— Somaphunga (@Le_Shifu) August 23, 2017
#EFFfacts
Most don’t know this but before becoming POTUS, Barack Obama started off as an EFF ward councillor.— Lifa (@MLifaro) August 24, 2017
If you thought folk could not get more extra, they even invoked the Divine.
Why are you kids trolling the poor EFF. Don’t you know they suggested to God that he sacrifice Jesus . Yall going to hell #EFFFacts
— Onika Khumalo (@HazelbirdZinhle) August 23, 2017
Don’t get us wrong, the origins of #FeesMustFall and fallism is an important conversation – but we’ll leave it for another day.
We have to admit, we live for Black Twitter.
Black Twitter is the EFF youth league. #EFFFacts
— IG @AdvBarryRoux (@AdvBarryRoux) August 23, 2017
You guys are going in with #EFFFacts wow issa lot. LOL!
— Babes Womzabalazo (@NalediChirwa) August 23, 2017