By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has emphasised that the electoral reforms are necessary to strengthen the country’s democracy.
Malema was speaking at the closing session of the party’s second plenum of its 3rd National People’s Assembly at the Birchwood Hotel in Gauteng, after a three-day gathering focused on political objectives and preparing for local government elections.
He argued that registration should not be an optional hurdle but a legal standard.
“We want every child who becomes 18 years old to be registered as a law in South Africa. It is your civil duty as a citizen to vote and to vote for a party of your choice.”
Malema added that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) must streamline its processes to make it easier for the youth to participate. He framed the act of voting as a necessary trade-off for demanding government accountability.
The CIC has also moved to clarify that the party did not spend R1 billion on its campaign for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
This comes after comments by the party’s deputy president, Godrich Gardee, who was addressing the EFF’s plenary on the rising cost of elections in South Africa.
Gardee used an example, saying the EFF cannot afford to spend a billion rand every two years on both local and national elections.
He sharply questioned the IEC, asserting that corruption was evident within the organisation. He raised concerns focused on the absence of live voter rolls, inadequate oversight of voter registration and campaigning, and incomplete voter rolls that prevent citizens from casting their votes.
“IEC, what are your control measures to ensure that there is no fraud in every election we have. We are asking this question because the brazen attitude of IEC officials is at another level. They even stole EFF votes in the vd (voting district) where the president is voting.
“For example, EFF got 900 votes in Seshego in 2024, and ANC got 300 votes. We have the copy of the results slip, but when you look at the roc they captured vice versa,” said Gardee.
Gardee also noted the attitudes of IEC officials presiding over elections in a manner that compromises the electoral process, and how this can undermine the democratic process and election results.
He engaged the IEC regarding the date of the upcoming Local Government Elections, arguing that the currently proposed November date, which was adopted due to the COVID national disaster, is no longer appropriate.
Malema emphasised his deputy’s example may have been misleading but was intended to highlight concerns about the high cost of contesting elections.
“Even if we wanted to have R1 billion, we don’t have it and we can’t have it. No one can ever give us R1 billion, not in South Africa. The point is that they have made elections expedient for the benefit of those who have money.”
Malema further said that the IEC must support this initiative and provide updated voters’ rolls.
“They must print a voters’ roll and give it to each and every VD. They are the ones who created the VDs. So they must print the voters’ roll of each and every one so that we can go to those people who are already on the voters’ roll to confirm that indeed these people are here, they are citizens in this particular ward,” he added.
Malema urged citizens to register and vote for the party of their choice, saying people cannot demand services from government if they do not participate in elections.