Intent on governing: EFF leader Julius Malema talking to the media
about the party’s campaign strategy. Photo: EFF
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have adopted a militant “Victory or Death” theme before the 2026 local government elections, as the party seeks to reverse its electoral decline and reposition itself as a governing alternative at municipal level.
Speaking during the party’s post-plenum media briefing on Wednesday, leader Julius Malema called on EFF members to unite in response to what the party described as an existential threat to its project of “economic freedom in our lifetime” after its performance in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
The Red Beret leader warned that further electoral decline would delay liberation for generations, saying the upcoming local government elections would be a decisive test for
the party.
Malema said the plenum had reviewed the implementation of resolutions taken at the party’s 2024 national assembly and consolidated strategy before intensified campaigning at local level.
Central to that was a renewed focus on community-based interventions and direct action campaigns, which the party said had delivered tangible gains despite it not holding state power.
Among the campaigns highlighted were the #UmntanaEskolweni initiative, aimed at preventing the exclusion of learners from schools and the #SizofundaNgenkani campaign led by the EFF Youth Command to assist students with university placement, registration and accommodation.
The party said the campaigns demonstrated its capacity to intervene in service delivery failures and confront corruption, including the sale of fraudulent admissions.
The plenum also reflected on the recent #HandsOffMalema protests, which followed a long-running court case involving Malema.
The party characterised the protests as resistance against political persecution and said the mobilisation, including solidarity actions abroad, showed that the EFF remained rooted in communities despite electoral setbacks.
The EFF sharpened its critique of local government, arguing that municipalities had become the epicentre of service delivery collapse.
The party singled out water shortages in Midrand, blaming both the ANC and the Democratic Alliance, which jointly govern the area and urged voters to punish them in the next local elections.
The EFF said it would campaign on a platform of restoring basic services, including water, electricity and sanitation.
A key resolution from the plenum was the decision to field EFF mayoral candidates in municipalities and to approach post-election
negotiations with the intention of governing, rather than playing a supporting role.
The party said it had sufficient experience to lead municipalities and reverse their decline.
Malema reiterated the EFF’s call for electoral reform, including the introduction of a single election every five years for all spheres of government, the abolition of by-elections and automatic voter registration from the age of 16. He said frequent elections favoured wealthy parties and undermined governance.
At provincial level, Malema said the party would oppose the upcoming Gauteng budget and support motions of no confidence against ANC mayors and premiers, citing strained relations and what it described as the ANC’s refusal to treat coalition partners with respect.
The plenum further raised concerns about delays in high-profile accountability processes, including the Constitutional Court’s pending judgment in the Phala Phala matter and the non-publication of the interim report of the Madlanga commission into criminality and political interference.
Internationally, the EFF reiterated its opposition to US foreign policy, renewed calls for a boycott of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US and expressed solidarity with Palestine and opposition groups in Uganda, where elections were held amid repression and internet shutdowns.