EFF leader Julius Malema has told the party’s newly elected councillors and activists that it can no longer rely on its opposition status as an excuse for poor service delivery, insisting that communities in areas where the party won must see tangible improvements, starting with access to water.
Speaking at the National Results Operations Centre in Midrand following the 2026 Local Government Elections, Malema announced a 100-day service delivery programme targeting all EFF-controlled wards and voting districts.
“Why should people not have water in a ward of the EFF, when the councillor of the EFF is there? Let’s drill a borehole inside the yard of the councillor,” he said.
“This, we are going to do in the next 100 days!”
Malema said the EFF’s electoral setback should not be viewed as a defeat, but as an opportunity for the party to reflect on how it communicates its message and presents its service delivery plans to voters.
“A setback is not a defeat; it is an opportunity which gives us a moment to reflect on how to better present ourselves and our message of service delivery to the people,” he said.
At the centre of his message was a call for the party to move beyond protest politics and become more directly involved in practical service delivery.
“The EFF must start engaging in service delivery programmes in the wards where we won, in the voting districts where we won. There must be a deliberate programme to service those people,” Malema said.
He said residents in wards won by the EFF should experience visible improvements. The party should also organise support for communities in voting districts where it secured support, even if those areas fall within wards controlled by other political parties.
Malema’s borehole proposal was intended to illustrate the urgency of the task, with councillors expected to take the initiative rather than wait for municipalities to address residents’ needs.
The proposed programme will put the EFF’s ability to translate its electoral support into practical action under scrutiny following the party’s performance in the 2026 elections. The party retained support in parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West, despite losing ground nationally.
For Malema, the next 100 days will be an opportunity for EFF councillors and activists to demonstrate how the party intends to address service delivery challenges in the communities where it has secured support.