The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ANC have formalised a growing partnership in the North West
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ANC have formalised a growing partnership in the North West, signing a cooperation agreement to co-govern municipalities across the province — including councils where the ANC holds a majority.
The move to expand the party’s influence nationally comes as the Red Berets prepare for the local government elections in 2026, and look to capitalise on its support base in the province.
North West has become an EFF stronghold. The party won seats from the ANC in the 2021 local elections in the Mahikeng (Lomanyaneng) area and increased its growth in the Ditsobotla (Lichtenburg) area.
This move by the Red Berets comes amid a breakdown of relations between the two parties in Gauteng, where ANC leaders have publicly rejected the idea of working with the EFF.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula last week described such partnerships as politically dangerous and damaging to the party’s long-term interests.
But, in the North West, provincial leaders have argued that the move would benefit the ANC in the upcoming election. The EFF is the official opposition in the province, which contributed 170 000 of the party’s 1.8 million votes nationally in 2019.
Sources in the EFF have told the Mail & Guardian that both parties concluded a “working arrangement” that initially targeted hung municipalities but was later extended to all councils in the province.
This includes the Rustenburg local municipality, Bojanala district municipality, as well as Ditsobotla and JB Marks, among others. The agreement is to bring stability to the municipalities.
The relationship between the two parties has seen the ANC remove its members from the mayoral committees (MMCs) to accommodate EFF members.
In Rustenburg, mayor Sheila Mabale-Huma reshuffled her executive committee to accommodate EFF councillors, removing members from smaller parties that had previously helped the ANC retain power after the 2021 local government elections.
Among those replaced were Ofentse Kombe of the Botho Community Movement (BCM), African Independent Congress councillor Nombulelo Xatasi, and independent councillor Khoeli Libe.
They were replaced by three EFF councillors: Merrium Nono Phalole, appointed as MMC for budget and treasury; Poppy Lebethe, MMC for planning and human settlements; and Credo Mokgosi, who was named chairperson of the municipal public accounts committee.
The appointments followed instructions issued by ANC North West provincial secretary Louis Diremelo, who has been advocating for ANC caucuses in hung and ANC-majority municipalities to partner with the EFF.
ANC provincial spokesperson Tumelo Maruping confirmed that the ANC’s national leadership had authorised the provincial structure to enter into talks with the EFF after coalition talks with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus were unsuccessful.
EFF North West chairperson Shakes Botswe declined to comment.
Despite the EFF making headway in the North West, it has struggled to maintain its relationship with the ANC.
In Gauteng, the provincial ANC leadership has moved away from any cooperation with the EFF, instead exploring alliances with the DA and other smaller parties to maintain control of key metros.
The EFF leader in Gauteng, provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga, has repeatedly criticised the ANC’s approach and accused it of undermining previous agreements.
The ANC and EFF are co-governing in Ekurhuleni — as well as in Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay — under a deal in which they have agreed that smaller parties’ councillors ascend to the mayoral positions. But some ANC leaders in Ekurhuleni argue that the partnership with the EFF has lost its effectiveness.
A presentation to the national executive committee by the ANC’s head of political education, David Makhura, last year accused the EFF of abusing its coalition partnerships with the ANC to undermine the majority party’s support.
“The EFF uses coalitions to contest the ANC’s social base and further damage its brand,” the document read.
It said the party’s internal research showed that in by-elections, the EFF was still growing “mainly in the traditional base of the ANC; its growth is levelling up below 20%”.
But EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo defended the party’s track record in municipalities where it held leadership roles, accusing the ANC of sabotaging functioning councils for political expediency.
He pointed to Ekurhuleni, where the EFF previously held the finance portfolio, as an example of what he called deliberate disruption.
“In Ekurhuleni, they removed the EFF MMC [Dunga] for finance in a witch-hunt to collapse the good governance that was prevailing. Today, there is a R2 billion revenue shortfall in the city — a clear sign that the ANC is more interested in power than performance,” Thambo said.
“The ANC wants to remove the EFF because we are bringing change, and they are afraid that if we govern well, their own failures will be exposed. That is why they are more comfortable sharing power with the DA than with the EFF.”
Thambo said the EFF’s involvement in local governance was often met with resistance precisely because the party was disrupting long-standing patronage networks, which was seen by the North West government.