A decline in the EFF's share of the electoral vote could pave the way for the opposition party to have a new head, its leader Julius Malema says.
Malema has been at the helm of the EFF since its inception in 2013 , having been elected unopposed for a second term at its last elective conference in 2019 but says his name “is going to be on the table” should the party fail to increase its share of the vote at the May 29 polls.
Malema has thrown his hat into the ring for his party’s internal leadership contest, saying he is available to be re-elected to the position at the EFF’s elective and policy conference in December.
Should he succeed, Malema would lead the leftist party for another five years.
The EFF’s constitution does not place limits on members serving in its top six positions, allowing them multiple terms of five years.
“It works like that in political organisations because once your support [declines] the discussion starts around your head. That's why you see me running around like a headless chicken,” Malema said.
In 2014 the party won 6% of the vote and in 2019 11%.
A poll released by market research firm Ipsos in February showed the EFF is poised to surpass the DA as official opposition. According to the poll, EFF support is estimated to increase to 18.6%., while that of the DA is expected to fall to 17.3% from 21.62% in the 2021 municipal polls and 20.77% in the 2019 national election.
The EFF manifesto proposes sweeping changes to the country, and the economy in particular, including land expropriation without compensation, and the nationalisation of mines and banks. It also wants to end private participation in Eskom, while it hopes to halt the separation of the state-owned power utility into generation, transmission and distribution units.
Malema, who was speaking a media engagement on Friday, said the party has not ruled out coalitions with other parties who share similar policies to its own, including the ANC.
Through informal coalition agreements with the ANC and other smaller parties since 2021 the EFF has been able to places its members as MMCs in various municipalities across the country including Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Mogale City, Nelson Mandela Bay and a deputy mayor in Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal.
“We don't have a problem with a coalition government. We think it is the most workable solution to political arrogance and the sins of the incumbents,” Malema said.
“We are not far from a lot of parties about what needs to happen. I mean ATM, AZAPO, PAC and MK including the ANC on the land question," Malema said.
“We are not far apart and actually had an agreement with the ANC that we would expropriate land without compensation before they developed cold feet that we are going to nationalise the Reserve Bank, that we are going to establish a state bank. These two we followed up [on] when we went to parliament, [with the] nationalisation of mines, while one of the simplest demands we made was to remove Die Stem from the national anthem,” he said.
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