Malema vows EFF will deliver jobs and services as party launches manifesto in Thohoyandou
Julius Malema told Economic Freedom Fighters supporters on Saturday that the party sees victory as certain and will push municipalities to deliver jobs, wate...
Julius Malema told Economic Freedom Fighters supporters on Saturday that the party sees victory as certain and will push municipalities to deliver jobs, water and electricity if it wins power. The EFF leader spoke in Thohoyandou as the party marked its 13th anniversary with the launch of its election manifesto.
The message was blunt. No quick fixes. No empty promises. Malema said local government would not get the change it needs without the EFF, and he tied that argument directly to service delivery failures that have fuelled anger in communities across South Africa, from Limpopo to other parts of the country where collapsing councils and weak basic services remain a live political issue.
Jobs, services and a direct pitch to voters
Standing before supporters in Vhembe, Malema said the party’s plan centres on work and basic services, with medical aid and pension funds for workers who are hired directly. He rejected reliance on tenders and framed the EFF’s promise as one of appointments, not contracts handed out through procurement systems.
“We want proper food. We want water, we want electricity, and not just electricity. We want reliable electricity,” he said, setting out the party’s message in plain terms.
The emphasis on services speaks to the everyday pressure facing households in many South African municipalities, where unreliable electricity, poor water access and weak service delivery have become defining election issues. The EFF has tried to build its local-government pitch around that frustration. This time, Malema said the party wants to link public employment to benefits that many workers in the country still do not have.
“We don't want tenders. We want people to work directly, have an appointment letter, have a medical aid, have a pension fund and also have leave days,” he said.
Attacking collapsing municipalities
Malema also turned to the state of local government, singling out corruption and collapsing municipalities as obstacles to change. He said the EFF wants more funding for local government, arguing that councils cannot carry the load if they are left under-resourced and mismanaged.
It was a familiar line from a party that has made municipal dysfunction a core part of its political identity. The EFF has long argued that local government should be strengthened rather than sidelined, especially in areas where residents face broken infrastructure and limited accountability from officials.
The event in Thohoyandou folded the manifesto launch into the party’s anniversary celebrations, giving the gathering both a campaign feel and a symbolic one. Supporters heard a message built around urgency. And certainty, in Malema’s telling.
That certainty is what the EFF is selling to voters as election season gathers pace. Victory, he said, is coming. The test now is whether the party can turn that pitch into enough support to matter in municipalities where basic services remain fragile and public patience is thin.
For now, Malema says the Red Berets are not asking for a place at the table. They are asking for the table itself. The party’s next challenge will be proving that the promise of jobs with medical aid, pension funds and leave days can travel beyond the podium in Thohoyandou and into the councils where South Africans still wait for reliable electricity.
