By Lebone Rodah Mosima
With less than two months before the November 4 local government elections, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema took his campaign to the Eastern Cape on Friday before heading to KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
The party’s message was focused on jobs, free education and basic services as Malema addressed thousands of residents at the EFF’s provincial manifesto launch in Inanda, north of Durban.
The rally on Saturday, September 19, was held amid a heavy security presence and heightened tensions following clashes between EFF supporters and supporters of media personality and cultural activist Ngizwe Mchunu at a nearby event.
The EFF is campaigning to gain control of eThekwini Municipality, with Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi as its mayoral candidate.
In the 2021 local government elections, the ‘Red Berets’ received 10.48% of the vote in eThekwini, making it the third-largest party in the metro after the ANC and Democratic Alliance (DA).
Addressing residents in Inanda, Malema criticised the city’s water and sanitation problems and blamed the African National Congress (ANC) for what he described as deliberate failures.
He said old water pipes needed to be replaced to prevent leaks.
“In the whole of eThekwini, they allowed the sewer to go into the sea, to go into the beach because they don’t know what they are doing,” Malema said.
“We are going to take over this government and make sure that the sewer is properly directed and that the beach of eThekwini is conducive for our children and our visitors to go and swim there because tourism is what constitutes the economy.”
Malema promised that the EFF would create jobs for young people in the city, particularly those who had completed school.
He said employment should be based on qualifications and identification documents rather than political connections.
Malema also vowed to end what he described as the ANC’s practice of requiring a party membership card when people apply for jobs.
“A membership card is not what is required by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,” he said.
He urged residents to prioritise the future of young people and criticised the high levels of unemployment among people who had completed their schooling.
“Let’s go and vote for jobs. Let’s go and vote against unemployment!” he said.
Malema also assured elderly residents that social grants would continue under an EFF government and promised a monthly grant of R4,500 and free basic services.
He proposed integrating South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) data with municipal systems to prevent the misuse of grants intended for elderly people and mothers receiving child support grants.
On education, Malema criticised universities for demanding registration fees from students from no-fee schools.
He argued that university education should be free and said the government should use existing data to identify students in need without requiring them to provide information that exposes their financial circumstances.
He also called for free Wi-Fi on university campuses and in student residences to support learning, research and access to job and business opportunities.
“Without internet access, how can you find out about jobs or business opportunities? The ANC fears free Wi-Fi because it wants to keep you uninformed and in the dark about their shenanigans,” Malema said.
He urged Inanda residents to unite behind what he described as a campaign for economic freedom, including jobs, clean water and affordable electricity.
“The future is in your hands, nothing is standing between you and the future except yourself, the future is economic freedom in our lifetime, let’s vote for the EFF on the 4th of November,” he said.
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