Yasmin Bilal
EFF President Julius Malema has unveiled the party’s Local Government Election plans, promising better service delivery, job creation and tougher action against corruption in municipalities.
The plan focuses on economic development, reliable basic services and accountable leadership, while promising to tackle corruption and improve the performance of municipalities.
Malema outlined the party’s proposals during a media briefing in Sandton today following the EFF’s 17th Central Command Team meeting.
“The message from Thohoyandou is that South Africa cannot continue with municipalities that exist on paper but fail in practice. Our people live with water shortages, unreliable electricity, sewage spills, uncollected refuse, unsafe roads, unemployment and collapsing infrastructure while municipal resources are wasted through corruption, outsourcing and political patronage,” Malema said.
He said an EFF-led municipality would guarantee reliable and affordable basic services. Qualifying households would receive free water, electricity, sanitation and refuse removal.
“We will insource core municipal functions such as security, cleaning, waste collection and maintenance to create permanent jobs,” he said.
Malema said at least 80% of municipal procurement would be directed to local SMMEs, cooperatives and township enterprises to stimulate local economies.
He said EFF-run municipalities would invest in roads, public transport, healthcare, housing and community infrastructure.
“We will expand reliable and affordable public transport, especially in under-serviced townships and rural communities,” Malema said.
“We will also rebuild the infrastructure upon which communities and local economies depend. Municipal roads must be maintained and made safe, particularly those serving schools, clinics, cemeteries and economic centres,” he said.
Malema said young people would be central to the party’s local government plans.
“Our young people must be at the centre of this transformation. The EFF will ensure that at least 40% of municipal employment opportunities are allocated to young people between 18 and 35 years old, while at least 50% of municipal procurement opportunities will be directed towards youth-owned businesses and cooperatives,” he said.
He added that EFF municipalities would enforce a minimum of 50% representation of women in leadership, management, employment, procurement and economic development programmes.
“Water is a basic human necessity, and there can be no dignity without reliable access to it. Our municipalities will ensure that every household has clean, safe and reliable running water,” Malema said.
He said the party would also strengthen municipal law enforcement, improve electricity infrastructure, eradicate bucket and unsafe pit toilets, and integrate waste pickers into formal municipal waste management systems.
Turning to the economy, Malema said rising living costs continued to place pressure on South African households.
“The cost of living continues to place enormous pressure on working class households. The price of food, electricity, fuel, transport and other necessities continues to eat away at the income of ordinary people,” he said.
Malema praised the EFF’s branch structures for conducting peaceful candidate nomination processes.
“We are encouraged that these processes have been conducted peacefully and without bloodshed. Political competition must never become an excuse for comrades to turn against one another,” he said.
He reminded candidates that public office was a responsibility, not an entitlement.
“Every candidate must remember the oath that accompanies EFF deployment. The declaration they undertook requires the candidate to serve the people of South Africa with discipline, honesty, integrity and revolutionary commitment,” Malema said.
“It makes clear that deployment is not a right or employment, but a responsibility and organisational mandate. An EFF councillor must remain loyal to their community and the people of South Africa and make themselves available to serve their community,” he said.
“This is the standard we expect from every person who wears the red beret into a municipality. No Mayor will be deployed to accumulate wealth, demand tenders, employ family members, abuse municipal resources, or become part of the same corrupt political establishment we have spent thirteen years fighting,” Malema said.
He urged South Africans to register to vote or update their registration details during the final voter registration weekend.
“I call upon every Fighter to take responsibility for at least one other person. Go to your family members, your neighbours, your friends, your colleagues and the people in your communities. Ask them whether they are registered and help those who have not registered to do so,” he said.
“We must, therefore, not wait until election day to discover that our names are not on the voters’ roll or that our registration details are incorrect,” Malema said.
On national politics, Malema reaffirmed the EFF’s position on the Phala Phala matter. He criticised the Western Cape High Court’s interim interdict halting Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment process and called for the Madlanga Commission’s preliminary findings and interim reports to be made public.
“We reiterate the call for all preliminary findings and interim reports by the Madlanga Commission to be made public and accessible, as those reports do not belong to the President of the Republic, but belong to the people of South Africa,” he said.
He urged the commission to rely on credible evidence rather than media speculation.
“We encourage the commission and its evidence leaders to rely on evidence drawn from verifiable and credible processes of the law and legal institutions,” Malema said.
Malema maintained there was no evidence linking the EFF to any wrongdoing.
“Despite all attempts to cast doubt over the organisation and its leadership, there has been no evidence that ties the EFF to any wrongdoing, and this is a fact we remain proud of,” he said.