By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters have braved the chilly weather and have been streaming into the Khayelitsha Rugby stadium since early Saturday morning.
A custom-built 10,000-capacity dome in Khayelitsha is hosting the celebration, which the EFF says includes essential amenities and is ready to accommodate thousands of Fighters, supporters, and community members from Site B, Site C, TR Section, Nyanga, Gugulethu, Delft, and Belhar.
The EFF is using this milestone not only to celebrate its past but also to project its growing political footprint.
A diverse musical lineup entertained supporters throughout the day, with artists including Zee Nxumalo, Alaska, Big Zulu, Daliwonga, Big Nuz, Leemckrazy, Tshidi Malaika, Mindo The Vocalist, Themeka, DJ Boon, Nkosazana Daughter, Sfiso S, Jumbo, Nosipho Siko, Isibane Se Afrika, DJ Milalati, Lusanda Beja, DJ Kaunda, Dee Koala, Mr Thela, Mshayi, DJ Fire, Ta Bravo, DJ Prince, Lutho SA, Mpumi, Zintle Kwaaiman, and Ziggy.
Speaking at the EFF’s 12th anniversary celebrations, party leader Julius Malema said, the party emerged from a deep frustration with the slow pace of change since democracy and the persistence of poverty, inequality, and racial divisions.
Its founding principles were: radical economic transformation, land expropriation without compensation, nationalisation of mines and banks, and the eradication of poverty.
Malema painted a vivid picture of how those founding principles remain as urgent today as ever.
He reminded the crowd of Khayelitsha’s history, founded in 1983 under apartheid as a relocation site for Black people forcibly removed from Cape Town.
Despite decades of democracy, Khayelitsha still bears the scars of spatial apartheid: poor infrastructure, inadequate housing, unreliable water, and limited public transport.
Malema did not hold back in his criticism of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the party governing the Western Cape.
He accused the DA of being a party that protects white privilege and sustains inequality by neglecting townships like Khayelitsha.
While affluent suburbs such as Constantia and Clifton enjoy well-maintained roads and services, places like Gugulethu and Nyanga continue to suffer from neglect, overcrowded clinics, and dangerous streets plagued by gang violence.
Malema also spoke about the broader economic challenges facing the country, saying that while other nations on the continent experience growth, South Africa’s economy is stagnating.
He criticised the control that white-owned banks and financial institutions hold over the economy, dictating who can access loans and property, and keeping wealth concentrated in the hands of a few.
“At the same time, key state-owned enterprises are being weakened by defunding and attempts to privatise through outsourcing or fragmenting services.”
He pointed to the gradual dismantling of institutions like Eskom and Transnet, warning that the consequences are dire for the country’s development and job creation.
The looming debt crisis, with government spending over R420 billion this year just on interest payments, was described as a ticking time bomb that threatens social services such as education, health, and policing.
Malema stressed that the party has remained true to its revolutionary principles, refusing to become co-opted by establishment politics or elite interests.
The EFF’s activism spans beyond Parliament, engaging directly with communities through land occupations, supporting workers’ rights, and fighting gender-based violence.
Malema has also affirmed his party’s support for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
This follows Mkhwanazi’s media briefing earlier this month, in which he levelled several allegations against police management and the judiciary, among others.
We are calling on all Mkhwanazi’s in the police to come out and fight crime and the syndicates that have captured the police and our country. We will not sit back and allow our country to be controlled by drug syndicates.
“To Mkhwanazi, do not be shaken, because if they fire you, there is a position for you in the EFF so that you can continue to fight corruption in South Africa.
“General Mkhwanazi should know that there is only one home for the fearless, and that home is the EFF.”
Malema further assured EFF supporters that the ad hoc committee’s investigation will not suffer the same fate as that which investigated the Phala Phala farm robbery.
The Section 89 independent panel had found that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer regarding the incident. However, the ANC used its majority in parliament to vote against the adoption of the report.
Malema called on people to come forward with information.
“People must come to parliament and tell us who the drug lords are and who is protecting them, because we need to start fighting drugs. We want to know where the guns come from in the Cape Flats and Khayelitsha,” said Malema.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of EFFSA.