Leading up to its 10th anniversary, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has invited schools to participate in an essay competition that requires an excellent demonstration of the history of the party.
The EFF was formed on July 26, 2013, by Julius Sello Malema after he was expelled by the African National Congress (ANC) as the president of the ANC youth league. The EFF is currently the third biggest political party in South Africa.
The competition opened on March 10 (Human Rights Month) and will run until April 30 (Freedom Month) with the announcement of the winners to be made in during Youth Month (June).
Under the topic, A 10-year history of the EFF, the essays must cover the sub-themes related to the conditions that led to the formation of the EFF, when and where was it formed, its major turning points over the past 10 years, the key actors of the party and its impact on the country.
The essay competition is open to all public and private secondary school-going Grade 10 to 12 learners in any of South Africa’s official languages: English, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, IsiNdebele, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, SiSwati and Afrikaans.
The Reds Berets said the competition would revive the culture of writing among the youth. "The ability to express oneself in a written form is central to modern life in all and every part of its aspects. With the advent of social media and short text messaging, the art of writing is daily undermined," the EFF said.
Participants must adhere to the following instructions:
- All entries should be typed and submitted in an electronic version in PDF format.
- All essays entering the competition should be in one of the South African official languages; English, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, IsiNdebele; Xitsonga, Tshivenda, SiSwati, and Afrikaans.
- All submissions must be accompanied by an EFF High School Essay Competition Entry Form which should contain full contact details of the entrant, including, an ID-sized photograph, physical address, telephone, fax number and email address; and contact details of the entrant's parent or guardian.
- The essay should be no more than 1200 words and not shorter than 900 words.
The EFF said no language will be given preference and there will be 11 winners, standing for each language.
The competition rules are:
1. All essays must not have been published before on any platform, including blogs, newspapers or broadcast on any radio or television platforms.
2. No Plagiarism: There must not be any plagiarism; no one should reproduce ideas belonging to someone else as if they are theirs. The use of citations must help deploy original thoughts and arguments.
3. Each learner can only submit one essay in any language of their choice e.g. one cannot submit an essay in IsiZulu and English or even the same essay in different languages.
4. All essay entries will be judged by a panel of judges chosen by the EFF and their decisions will be final.
5. The EFF reserves the right not to award any prize if, in its assessment, the entries do not meet the minimum requirements.
6. The EFF reserves the right to use the winning essays as and when required, including publication. The winners are not allowed to publish or distribute the essays without explicit agreement with the EFF.
"The (overall) winner will receive an amount of R40 000 which will be paid to the account details of the learners' choice. Winners will be required to present themselves physically at the event organised for the awarding of prizes," it said.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
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