EFF to launch KZN manifesto at JL Dube Stadium ahead of November local elections

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will launch its KwaZulu‑Natal provincial manifesto for the 4 November local government elections at the JL Dube Stadium in Inanda on Saturday, 19 September. EFF leader Julius Malema is expected to launch the manifesto and outline the party’s plans for local government over the next five years.

What the launch will cover

The party says Malema will set out the EFF’s priorities for local government for the coming five-year period. The event follows intensified campaigning by political parties ahead of the local government elections.

KwaZulu‑Natal’s changed political landscape

KwaZulu‑Natal has seen a significant shift since the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. Nationally, the EFF received 9.5% of the vote and 39 seats in the National Assembly, but its support in KwaZulu‑Natal was much lower, at about 2.6% of the provincial vote.

The EFF’s provincial showing was eclipsed by the emergence of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. The MK Party won about 45.9% of the KwaZulu‑Natal vote and secured 37 of the 80 seats in the provincial legislature. Other seat allocations in the legislature were: IFP 15, ANC 14, DA 11, EFF 2, NFP 1.

Government of Provincial Unity and opposition

Following the election, the IFP, ANC, DA and NFP agreed to form a Government of Provincial Unity (GPU). Together they control 41 of the 80 seats in the KwaZulu‑Natal legislature, leaving the MK Party and the EFF with the remaining 39 seats; the MK Party and the EFF are therefore outside the provincial government.

EFF’s view on its KZN performance

The EFF has linked its weaker performance in KwaZulu‑Natal to the emergence of the MK Party. Julius Malema has rejected the suggestion that the party’s position on open borders was responsible for the decline in support in the province. Malema has also said the EFF was

“lucky” to receive about 350 000 votes

in the 2019 local government elections because, he argued, voters then had fewer alternatives to the ANC.

Looking ahead to the local elections

The manifesto launch at JL Dube Stadium will be one of several events as parties prepare for voting on 4 November. The EFF will use the occasion to present its local‑government programme and appeal to voters in KwaZulu‑Natal.