EFF leader Julius Malema is proposing free water and electricity for the poor, arguing rich people must pay more to subsidise basic services for those living in poverty.
Speaking during the closing address of the EFF’s second plenum of its third national people’s assembly on Sunday, Malema said South Africa’s indigent policy should be scrapped and replaced with an automatic system that shields the poorest from monthly utility bills.
“We must do away with the indigent policy. Everybody who qualifies for the SA Social Security Agency grant must not pay for water and electricity.”
Malema suggested government use the Sassa database to identify qualifying households instead of requiring residents to apply through municipalities.
He questioned why the state recognises poverty in some areas of social support but applies a different logic to other basic services.
“If a school is declared a no-fee school because the community is poor, why can’t we apply the same rule to water and electricity?” Malema asked.
“School fees are paid once a year, but people are expected to pay for water and electricity every month.”
Malema said the “contradiction” places an unreasonable burden on township residents and called for a progressive billing system in which wealthier households are charged higher tariffs to subsidise the poor.
“The rich must pay for the poor,” he said, adding economic inequality was driven by historical injustice and ongoing exploitation.
He said the EFF believes the long-term goal should be to lift people out of poverty so more South Africans are eventually able to pay for services, reducing pressure on higher-income households.
“It’s an important discussion we must take up as the leadership of the EFF
“How do we ensure the poor are not made to suffer more by imposing unreasonable bills on them?”
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