Malema concedes defeat, calls on left to unite against DA

EFF president Julius Malema has conceded defeat in Wednesday's municipal elections, while calling on the ANC, MK Party and SACP to come together against the DA.

Speaking at the national Results Operations Centre (ROC) on Saturday, Malema said the EFF had not won the support it sought, but argued the outcome did not remove the party as a national player.

He said voter turnout remained a central problem for the party.

"80%, 90% that we don't vote and those who vote are actually in collaboration with the aiming so we must make sure that we take our people out there's still more of a voter education that we need to engage in," Malema said.

He said many people in townships and rural areas vote for change but do not see change, and then ask why they should continue to vote.

"They vote for change, but they don't see the change and they say why should we continue to vote because we don't see anything that is coming out of our home. So we hope that we will manage to really turn the situation around," he said.

Malema said the EFF must now start service delivery programmes in the wards it won, and channel resources into those areas.

"The EFF must start engaging in service delivery programs in the ones where we want, in the VDs where we want. There must be a deliberate program to service those people because you don't have to be formally in government as a mayor or speaker for you to accept the responsibility that you are a leader of that particular community," he said.

"We're going to channel majority of the EFF resources into these 37 ones and make sure that we deliver in those ones."

He gave examples of roads, water and refuse removal, and said the party would act in the next 100 days on service delivery problems in its wards.

"That which is a big problem in our communities and service delivery, we ought to attend to it immediately as a way to thanking people but also to demonstrate to our people," Malema said.

He said in one ward, between a provincial road and a municipal internal road there was gravel, and asked what stopped the EFF from paving it.

"What stops the EFF from doing a paving from that regional road and join the municipal road when they're still battling with their stupid laws of creating roads that look like Bermuda," he said.

On water, he said where an EFF councillor is present, the party should drill a borehole in the councillor's yard and pipe water to communities while waiting for municipal piped water.

"So how much is the borehole? It's 60,000. If it's expensive, it's 80,000 times 37," Malema said.

He defended the party's spending, saying its resources were its own.

"It's our millions. If you want to spend our millions on BBA, we'll do it. What's the problem? It's our money. How do you come and want to dictate how people spend their money?" he said.

Malema said the EFF's vote stood between 1.7 million and 2 million in the local elections, after 2.4 million votes in 2024.

"We've got more than that. It is actually, mathematically speaking, the EFF vote stands between 1.7 million to 2 million. We've got 2.4 million voters," he said.

"This local government did not define national politics. National politics were defined in 2024. While in Parliament, whether you like it or not, you are going to have to wait for 2029 to say EFF is not a national player. Wait for 2029."

"When you say we have lost, what do you mean we lost what? Those who lost are those who were running municipalities and today they have lost, that's the word lost, they have lost control of municipalities, lost because of the EFF," he said.

Malema rejected claims that the DA stole votes, saying voters chose the DA.

"Comrades, there is no DA that stole votes. Our people voted for DA. To say DA stole votes, you are lying. DA did not steal votes. Our people decided to go in bed with the enemy because the ANC said to them in 2024, it is nice to sleep with the enemy," he said.

"ANC said that and people said in 2026, if the ANC can work with them, sit with them in cabinet, why not vote for them because anyway, even if they are voting for them by appointing them in cabinet, that is the psychology of central people and those are the repercussions we are suffering from today."

He said the DA had been legitimised by the ANC's decision to work with it, and accused the ANC of taking voters back into the hands of enemy forces.

"The ANC took you straight back into the hands of the enemy forces and that's how we deal with coalitions," Malema said.

He then called for a realignment of left forces.

"It's an opportune moment for MK, for EFF, for Communist Party, ANC to come together and reject the enemy forces," he said.

"If MK puts a demand that Ramaphosa must go, the ANC must agree that Ramaphosa must go because we are in this mess because of him. You are losing your organization because you are protecting an individual."

He said the ANC must return to its base.

"It is the time now the ANC to come back. The ANC must come back and say, let me go and look for my children, my brothers, my cousins that I've lost because of my arrogance on the way. Let me go back and look for them," Malema said.

On coalitions, he said there was no ideology in a burst pipe.

"There's no ideology in a pipe that has pest. Instead of fixing a pipe, we must say Karl Marx said, no, let's go and fix the pipes. Let's go and fix the sewer. Anyone wants to join us in that is more than welcome," he said.

Malema also addressed non-voting, describing it as counter-revolutionary.

"Not voting is abnormal. It's counter-revolution. It's counter-revolution. You can't associate with such people. We encourage young people not to vote. They are the ones who are encouraging people to stay home and encourage counter-revolution to go and take over because our people have stayed home and not voted," he said.

"President Mbeki, even when he was angry with Zuma. He never said he will not vote. He said my vote is my secret and he actually stood up and went to vote."

Malema said the EFF would remain a player in South African politics.

"We have a national footprint and it is actually international footprint. And therefore, we cannot be destroyed by street committees, village work committees, can never destroy us. So we are a player in this politics of South Africa," he said.