EFF leader Julius Malema has said the party will not campaign around a mayoral candidate in Johannesburg, instead adopting a ward-based electoral strategy in which all candidates must first contest positions as ward councillors.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Malema said the EFF will not centre its 2026 local government election campaign on individual leadership figures, arguing that “service delivery and ideas must determine who we vote for, and not personality contests and cheap gimmicks”.
“We are not going to put any mayoral candidate…we put the manifesto first, and then we’ll put a consolidated list of candidates,” he said, reinforcing that the party will prioritise organisational identity and a people-centred manifesto over personality-driven campaigning.
Malema outlined a structured ward-based system in which all candidates must first stand as ward councillors, with mayors selected from this pool. “You can’t be a mayor if you are not a ward candidate,” Malema said, explaining leadership would emerge from those who have demonstrated support at the community level and direct engagement with voters.
The EFF leader further detailed the party would not rely on traditional proportional representation (PR) lists. Instead, a single placeholder would initially be submitted, with PR positions later filled by ward candidates who performed strongly but did not win.
This, he said, was designed to eliminate factionalism and reward electoral performance, ensuring that candidates who “lost with two votes” are prioritised over individuals who had not campaigned on the ground.
Malema also indicated communities would play a role in vetting candidates after elections, stating that councillors would be presented to community meetings where residents could raise objections. Where credible concerns are raised, the party may reconsider its candidate selections, incorporating community input into the final composition of councils.
This electoral model forms part of a broader campaign strategy centred on voter registration and grassroots mobilisation.
Malema said the party’s registration drive, launched on Human Rights Day, was intended to position voting as “a weapon in the hands of this generation” to secure socioeconomic demands, including free education, quality healthcare and affordable basic services.
To support this strategy, the EFF has restructured its internal leadership into election-focused task forces across all levels, with the central command team converted into a central elections task force and similar structures rolled out provincially and locally. Malema said these structures would be directly accountable for electoral performance.
On governance issues, Malema raised concerns about delays in the Phala Phala case, saying the EFF would continue applying pressure on the judiciary. He said the matter had been before the Constitutional Court for an extended period, adding that accountability in SA “must be demanded through struggle”.
Malema also criticised government handling of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, describing the response from agriculture minister John Steenhuisen as slow and insufficient, with significant consequences for rural economies and livestock producers.
He said the outbreak had exposed weaknesses in the state’s response to agricultural crises.
He further pointed to rising fuel prices, warning that increases in petrol and diesel costs were deepening the cost-of-living crisis. Malema said price hikes were feeding directly into food and transport costs and called for structural reforms to fuel pricing and longer-term relief measures.
On law enforcement, Malema cited findings linked to the Madlanga commission, arguing they revealed systemic corruption, factionalism and criminality within the police. He said the findings pointed to the need for comprehensive institutional reform and greater accountability within law enforcement agencies.
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