The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South Africa’s far-left opposition party, has come under scrutiny after publishing misleading claims regarding the United States’ involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The EFF’s statement, posted on social media platform X on November 6, followed the election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and included a series of unfounded allegations about U.S. actions in the region.
In the statement, titled EFF’s Statement on the Outcome of U.S. Presidential Elections, the party expressed indifference to the winner of the November 5 election but went on to criticize U.S. politics as “imperial” and “the worst kind.” Among the most controversial claims was an assertion that the U.S. is benefiting from the instability in the DRC, allegedly looting the country’s natural resources, including gold, copper, and cobalt, to benefit American companies and their allies.
The statement also invoked the long-debunked theory that the CIA orchestrated the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1961. However, the EFF’s focus on U.S. involvement in the current conflict in Congo has drawn significant backlash.
The United States has long condemned the violence and instability in the DRC, where armed rebel groups have fought for control over the country’s vast mineral wealth, displacing millions of civilians. The EFF’s claim that the U.S. is a direct beneficiary of this chaos is misleading. While the U.S. does import certain minerals from the DRC, including copper, its government has put in place measures to prevent illicitly mined resources from entering U.S. markets.
In 2010, the U.S. passed the Dodd-Frank Act, Section 1502, which mandates that U.S. companies listed on the stock exchange conduct due diligence to ensure that their supply chains are free from conflict minerals sourced from the DRC. This law is designed to curb the flow of profits from illicit mining activities that finance rebel groups and armed militias.
The U.S. State Department has also imposed sanctions on militia groups and individuals linked to illegal mining activities in Congo. These include sanctions against groups like M23, a militant faction accused of human rights abuses and operating with the support of neighboring Rwanda.
Reports from the U.N. and U.S. State Department have placed the blame for much of the mineral exploitation in the DRC on neighboring countries like Rwanda and Uganda, which are accused of facilitating the illegal trade of Congolese minerals. In May 2024, Congolese authorities filed a case against Rwanda at the International Criminal Court, accusing the country of using M23 rebels to plunder Congo’s natural resources. Rwanda has consistently denied these allegations.
The EFF’s statements were quickly labeled as false and misleading by political analysts and fact-checkers. Sandile Swana, a political analyst, noted that while the U.S. is involved in the Congolese economy through trade, its role in the conflict is not as the EFF suggests. “The U.S. has long taken steps to curb the illegal trade of Congolese minerals, including through legislation and sanctions,” Swana explained.
In response to the growing criticism, the EFF has yet to retract or clarify its claims, but the party’s rhetoric has raised concerns about its credibility, especially as South Africa’s political landscape continues to shift in the wake of the country’s own economic and social challenges.
As the EFF grapples with its stance on global issues, its leaders, including Julius Malema, continue to use fiery rhetoric to appeal to South Africa’s disenfranchised youth. However, the spread of false information on complex international issues like the DRC conflict could undermine the party’s legitimacy both at home and abroad.