The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has voiced alarm over escalating gun violence in the United States, warning that the crisis poses a threat to global safety as the country prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This follows the shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a vocal proponent of unfettered gun rights, who was struck in the neck while addressing students at an American university. The EFF described the incident as a grim reflection of a political order that prioritises “profits of gun manufacturers and the ideology of freedom at all costs” over human life.
“The very same man who argued that lives lost are a price worth paying for gun rights has himself become a casualty of the very system he championed,” said EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo.
Statistics underscore the crisis. In 2023, the U.S. recorded 46,728 firearm-related deaths. School shootings are rising sharply, with 83 incidents in 2024 leaving 38 people dead and 115 injured. By mid-2025, there had already been 91 cases of gunfire on school grounds, eight of them fatal.
The EFF warned that this culture of violence raises urgent questions about the U.S.’s ability to safeguard millions of visitors expected for the World Cup. “A nation that cannot guarantee its children safety in classrooms cannot be assumed ready to protect the world on its soil,” Thambo said.
The critique comes against the backdrop of deepening political drama in Washington. Just months ago, former U.S. President Donald Trump hosted President Cyril Ramaphosa at his Florida estate, where he controversially played a video montage of EFF leader Julius Malema’s fiery speeches on land expropriation and radical economic transformation. Analysts say the move was an attempt to embarrass Ramaphosa by highlighting South Africa’s internal political tensions.
The EFF has dismissed such manoeuvres as “cheap theatrics,” arguing that America should instead confront its own domestic crisis. “The chickens have indeed come home to roost,” Thambo said, drawing a parallel between U.S. military interventions abroad and its struggle to contain violence at home.
FIFA, the EFF stressed, must take seriously the risks of hosting the tournament in a country where mass shootings occur almost weekly. “FIFA cannot ignore this reality,” the statement read. “It has a duty to ensure the safety of all players, delegations, and supporters.”
