DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have officially launched their provincial manifestos for the 2026 Local Government Elections, with party leader Julius Malema leading aggressive campaigns across KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Seeking to reverse recent electoral declines, the EFF is placing a heavy emphasis on radical service delivery interventions, political tolerance, and reclaiming its stronghold in key battleground municipalities ahead of the November 4 polls.
The high-stakes campaign trail has been marked by heavy security deployments and historical political flashpoints, particularly in Inanda, where the party held its KwaZulu-Natal provincial manifesto launch at the JL Dube Stadium.
Political Tensions and Security Concerns in KZN
The EFF’s KZN rally took place just kilometers away from a parallel Maskandi music festival organized by traditional activist Ngizwe Mchunu. The proximity of the two events sparked severe tensions, resulting in scuffles and reported AK-47 gunfire the previous evening. In response, police—including Tactical Response Team (TRT) units—were heavily deployed to the area as a precaution against political violence.
Addressing the friction, Malema called for high levels of political tolerance, noting the province’s tragic history of political intolerance and violence, which was previously investigated by the Moerane Commission.
“Calling for peace and calling for tolerance should never be confused for cowardice. We are not scared of anything apart from water, electricity, and jobs,” Malema stated. “There should never be killing of each other… but we will defend ourselves if anyone comes here and tries to disrupt us when we exercise our democratic right.”
The EFF’s eThekwini mayoral candidate, who previously served as a local councilor and made presentations on political intolerance at the Moerane Commission, echoed these sentiments. The candidate criticized local law enforcement for allegedly failing to stop unauthorized parallel events designed to intimidate EFF supporters during the official campaign period.
KZN Service Delivery Pledges: Water, Crime, and Infrastructure
In the eThekwini Metro, the EFF has identified the ongoing water crisis as a primary target. Malema and the party’s mayoral candidate pledged to resolve the severe water shortages affecting townships and rural areas—including Inanda, Savannah Park, Waterfall, Montclair, and Umlazi—within three months of taking office. The party also committed to fixing bulk infrastructure and addressing sewer spillages that are currently contaminating local beaches.
Crime and gang violence remain critical issues in the region. The EFF’s mayoral candidate highlighted specific crime-riddled hotspots, identifying Wards 153, 117, 154, and 107 as priority areas for law enforcement intervention. To combat the violence, the party is aggressively pushing for the construction of a new police station in Amaoti, a densely populated area of roughly 60,000 residents, alongside renewed efforts to secure a police station for the KwaMashu and Newtown precincts.
Furthermore, Malema promised a “clean government” focused on eradicating corruption, filling potholes, and upgrading local roads, leveraging the party’s past experience chairing municipal oversight committees to hold previous administrations accountable.
Eastern Cape Promises: 24/7 Clinics and Free Higher Education
Earlier in the day, Malema addressed supporters in the Eastern Cape, delivering a fiery speech focused on healthcare, education, and basic human dignity. He demanded the immediate implementation of 24-hour clinics staffed with doctors, nurses, and ambulances in every ward.
“Why do you call this thing a clinic when it closes at 4:00 p.m., as if we are getting sick by time?” Malema asked, citing Cuba as an example of a poorer nation that successfully manages street-level doctors. He recounted tragic incidents of pregnant women being turned away from closed clinic gates or forced to give birth in the back of bakkies, arguing that black children deserve the same safe, well-equipped medical environments as their white counterparts.
On education, the EFF leader vowed to abolish university and TVET college registration fees for students graduating from no-fee government schools. Malema condemned the current system for forcing students to “display poverty” by providing extensive documentation, such as parents’ death certificates or social grant records, arguing that government databases should automatically verify a student’s background via their ID number.
He also promised to eradicate the Eastern Cape’s notorious mud schools and pit latrines within a single year and committed to building bridges so that rural communities no longer have to carry coffins across flooded rivers during the rainy season. Invoking the legacy of provincial heroes like Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, OR Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko, and Govan Mbeki, Malema urged the province to demand better governance to end child starvation and restore local dignity.
The Battle for 300,000 Votes and Coalition Stability
A major pillar of the EFF’s 2026 strategy is reclaiming the approximately 300,000 votes the party lost in KwaZulu-Natal during the 2024 national and provincial elections. Those votes largely defected to former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), causing the EFF’s provincial legislature representation to plummet from eight to two seats.
Malema aggressively campaigned against the MK Party, urging voters not to support what he described as a chaotic and disorganized entity. “MK is dead before it was born. They are killing each other, destroying each other, and expelling each other,” Malema claimed, pointing out that the MK Party had cycled through more than 15 secretary generals in under three years, whereas the EFF has maintained stable leadership.
Addressing widespread fears that the 2026 elections will result in hung municipalities and coalition chaos—potentially affecting up to 70% of councils nationwide—Malema dismissed the narrative. He cited stable coalition governments currently operating in uMngeni, eThekwini, and at the national level, arguing that coalition governance simply requires constant consultation rather than resulting in automatic collapse.
He also defended the EFF’s controversial decision to withdraw its deputy mayors from IFP-led municipalities in KZN, citing “arrogance” and threats from the IFP, which allegedly refused to treat the EFF as an equal coalition partner. With clear battle lines drawn, the EFF is now intensifying its ground operations across the length and breadth of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, aiming to secure a decisive mandate on November 4.
