EFF vows to 'punish' ANC at polls

Next local government elections will be a decisive test, Malema says as party launches plan of attack

- Mandisa Nyathi

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have adopted a militant “Victory or Death” theme before the 2026 local government elections, as the party seeks to reverse its electoral decline and reposition itself as a governing alternative at municipal level.

Speaking during the party's post-plenum media briefing on Wednesday, leader Julius Malema called on EFF members to unite in response to what the party described as an existential threat to its project of “economic freedom in our lifetime” after its performance in the 2024 national and provincial elections.

The Red Beret leader warned that further electoral decline would delay liberation for generations, saying the upcoming local government elections would be a decisive test for the party.

Malema said the plenum had reviewed the implementation of resolutions taken at the party's 2024 national assembly and consolidated strategy before intensified campaigning at local level.

Central to that was a renewed focus on community-based interventions and direct action campaigns, which the party said had delivered tangible gains despite it not holding state power.