Wednesday, 04 February 2026

 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) successfully concluded the Second Plenum of the Third National People’s Assembly, held over the past weekend from the 30th of January to the 1st of February 2026, bringing together 668 delegates from across all structures of the movement.

 

The Plenum which resolved that the theme for this year is Victory or Death was attended by members of the Central Command Team (CCT), Provincial Command Teams (PCTs), Sub-Regional Command Teams (SRCTs) including Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Legislatures, Councillors, and a delegation of the EFF Youth Command. This broad and representative gathering reflected the organizational depth, national reach and political seriousness of the EFF at a critical historical moment.

 

The theme Victory or Death arises out of the real threat to the liberation of our people, which is posed by the possibility of the EFF failing to reverse the decline we confronted in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. Such a failure, would delay the freedom of our people for generations to come, and this means that all structures have no option in the upcoming Local Government Elections other than victory, as the alternative is the degeneration of the lives of the people of South Africa, the continent, the diaspora and the world.

 

The purpose of the Plenum was to reflect honestly on the political situation confronting South Africa and the world, to assess the implementation of resolutions adopted at the 3rd National People’s Assembly, and to consolidate strategic direction as the organization prepares for intensified struggle and the upcoming Local Government Elections.

 

The Plenum reflected with pride on the tangible gains secured by the EFF this year, which demonstrate that disciplined struggle yields results, even in hostile political conditions. The #UmntanaEskolweni Campaign was recognised as a decisive intervention against the exclusion of children from education. Through direct action, community mobilisation and political pressure, the EFF forced schools and provincial departments to reverse illegal and discriminatory practices that deny children access to classrooms; ensured that those less privileged had all the necessary uniforms, books and shoes to attend school with dignity; donated materials and computers for the development of local schools; and made oversight visits to assess readiness to meet learners.

 

The EFF additionally commends the EFF Youth Command for its discipline, visibility and principled activism, particularly through the #SizofundaNgenkani Campaign, which has emerged as one of the most practical and youth-centred interventions in the country.

 

The campaign is actively assisting students on the ground with placement into universities and colleges, securing accommodation, navigating registration processes, resolving administrative barriers, and engaging institutions to ensure that no deserving student is excluded due to poverty or bureaucracy.

 

We note with pride that the #SizofundaNgenkani Campaign is present across campuses nationwide, with Youth Command structures deployed in institutions of higher learning throughout the country. At the same time, the Youth Command opened criminal cases against individuals selling admissions and preying on desperate families and young people, regardless of political affiliation, status or connections. This reflects the EFF’s uncompromising stance that access to education must never be commodified and that criminals who exploit vulnerability must face the full consequence of the law.

 

The EFF will always uproot such criminality wherever it occurs, including within its own ranks. Revolutionary politics cannot coexist with corruption, and the EFF will never protect wrongdoing in the name of organizational loyalty.

 

The Plenum also reflected on the #HandsOffMalema protests, which emerged as a powerful expression of popular resistance against political persecution and the abuse of the judiciary to pursue political opponents of the establishment. The ground forces of the EFF and the people of South Africa landed in East London in their masses to stand with us, on a case that has been dragged since 2018, to defend the right of revolutionary leaders to speak truth to power without intimidation, selective prosecution or state-sponsored harassment. The protests, which were echoed in Australia, Europe, and the rest of the African continent demonstrated that the EFF is not an isolated political formation, but a mass movement rooted in communities that are prepared to defend our leadership and our struggle.

 

We take this opportunity to thank all our Ground forces and the continent of Africa, the people of the World, who supported us during these difficult times.

 

We must not forget our recent victory in the defeat of data and airtime expiry, a historic victory achieved through sustained parliamentary struggle and public mobilisation. This intervention exposed the exploitation of the poor by telecommunications corporations that profit from unused data while households struggle to afford connectivity. The EFF’s success in this battle was affirmed by ICASA who noted that access to communication is a constitutional right, central to modern life; and that working-class people should not be robbed through corporate greed.

 

These victories should be recognized as proof that revolutionary politics, grounded in principle and mass action, can deliver meaningful change even before state power is fully captured.

 

The Plenum engaged deeply with the shifting global balance of forces and the rapid deterioration of the international political order. The world has entered a period of heightened instability, driven by the aggressive conduct of imperial powers and the deepening crisis of global capitalism. The current phase is marked by open coercion, militarization of foreign policy, economic warfare and the erosion of international law. The United States of America, in particular, is playing a destabilizing role globally, using its economic and military power to discipline states that pursue independent paths or refuse to submit to imperial interests.

 

We commend South Africa’s principled stance in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and its opposition to Israel’s apartheid practices, has exposed the country to external hostility and misinformation campaigns. This pressure is not accidental, but part of a broader attempt to punish countries that challenge imperial dominance. We further commend the declaration of the of Israeli’s diplomat as persona non grata and call on the President to adhere to the long-standing resolution of Parliament to close the Israeli Embassy with immediate effect.

 

The EFF remains firm in its view that the unravelling of the current global order also presents an opportunity for humanity. As old systems fail, there is space to advance a multipolar world based on equality between nations, respect for sovereignty, and cooperation rather than domination. This brings up the need to strengthen South-South relations, reduce dependency on the US dollar, oppose foreign military bases on African soil, and build independent industrial, technological, and defense capacity across the continent.

 

On the domestic front, the Plenum reflected with urgency on the worsening conditions faced by the majority of South Africans. Unemployment, hunger, crime, gender-based violence and failing public services have become defining features of daily life, exposing the complete failure of the post-apartheid political elite.

 

Particular attention was paid to the collapse of local government with municipalities, which sit at the coalface of service delivery, being increasingly dysfunctional and captured by unaccountable officials, tender networks and consultants. Communities are subjected to water shortages, electricity disruptions, sewage spills and collapsing infrastructure, while ordinary people are blamed for failures they did not create.

 

We send our support to the people of Johannesburg, particularly the people of Midrand, who did not have Water for the past 3-weeks. The Government has no got capacity to deliver the basic service of Water to the suburbs of Midrand. We say to the People of Midrand, the people who are Governing there in Midrand is the ANC and the DA, and they must both collectively be PUNISHED in the next Local Government Elections. Under the EFF Government, we will provide Water everywhere, especially in areas like Midrand.

 

The EFF’s long-standing critique of National Treasury’s fiscal framework was noted, especially the equitable share model, which systematically underfunds municipalities while assuming that poor, rural and township communities can sustain themselves through revenue collection. This model continues to be irrational, unjust, and central to the collapse of local government.

 

Electricity pricing and energy insecurity continue to be major drivers of poverty and economic hardship and we continue to reject the false narrative that the electricity crisis has been resolved, noting that load shedding has merely been repackaged as load reduction, with working-class communities continuing to bear the brunt of blackouts and rising tariffs.

 

The EFF expresses deep concern at the growing crisis of hunger, including the tragic loss of life due to starvation and unsafe scholar transport. The death of children from hunger is a national shame and a direct indictment of a state that has abandoned its responsibility to protect the most vulnerable.

 

The EFF has therefore recommitted itself to strengthening community-based interventions through its branches and sub-regions, ensuring that families in distress are identified and supported with dignity, without exploitation or humiliation; while calling for safe, state-led scholar transport and the regulation of those entrusted with the lives of children.

 

The rise of violent crime, gangsterism and drug abuse, particularly in urban centers such as Cape Town is additionally concerning due to the failure of DA-led administrations to protect working-class communities, despite their claims of superior governance.

 

The EFF reiterates its position that crime is both a policing failure and a social crisis rooted in unemployment, poverty and inequality. The organization commits itself to confronting criminality through legislative action as seen in our motion for an Ad Hoc committee into the crime in Cape Town, community mobilisation, and the establishment of progressive, people-centred safety interventions.

 

The Plenum placed significant emphasis on organizational discipline, unity and preparedness. Delegates reflected honestly on the need to strengthen subregional structures, ensure regular branch activity, verify grassroots electoral machinery, and rebuild direct engagement with communities.

 

The EFF reaffirmed that it enters the upcoming Local Government Elections with the intention not merely to participate, but to win and govern. The organization committed itself to contesting municipalities with clear programs, capable leadership, and an uncompromising stance against corruption and incompetence.

 

One of the prevailing recommended resolutions from the Plenum is the decision to field EFF Mayoral candidates in the upcoming local government elections, and in any post-election negotiation scenario that may arise. This is a resolution born out of the reality that the EFF now has the necessary experience and capacity to lead municipalities and rescue them from decline.

 

On electoral reform, the EFF Plenum reflected on the fact that South Africa is in a permanent state of elections, which undermines the focus of public representatives to deliver services as they are in a constant campaigning mode. This, alongside the high cost of frequent elections in the form of by-elections, local government elections and Provincial and National Elections means that our democracy and the electoral process is becoming increasingly a privilege of the rich, who can afford to contest all these elections consistently. It is on this note that the EFF reiterates its call for one election every five years for all spheres of government, and to do away with by-elections, in order to allow political parties to replace ward councillors in the same way the PR system works.

 

Furthermore, the EFF reaffirmed its long-standing position for automatic voter registration, and this is a process we are already pursuing legislatively through the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill. This Bill will allow for automatic voter registration at the age of 16, in order to curb voter suppression which arises out of unnecessary bureaucratic processes.

 

We take this opportunity to reaffirm the position that the EFF will not support the upcoming Gauteng Budget which will be presented in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and will subsequently support any motion of no confidence against any ANC Mayor or Premier. This is due to the disrespectful behaviour of the ANC towards the EFF particularly in Gauteng and in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan, where the ANC behaves as if it governs alone. The inability of the ANC to accept its decline and work with mutual respect with those they corporate with will be their downfall and the EFF will never allow its voters to be undermined at the table of political expediency.

 

On the ongoing Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, chaired by retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, we note the interim report that was submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa in December.

 

While the Commission has recommended that there is prima facie evidence of wrongdoing implicating senior police officials such as Major General Lesetja Senona, Major General Richard Shibiri and other officials, including officials from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, and has referred these matters for investigation, we are deeply concerned that the interim report is not being made public and that some implicated persons, have not yet been heard in full before the Commission

 

This raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and adherence to the law of natural justice. The EFF reiterates its call for the immediate arrest and investigation of Major General Lesetja Senona and all others implicated, not as a political move but as a defence of our country and to ensure that no one is above the law, regardless of position. We also call for the full publication of the interim report so that the public can see the case for themselves and engage meaningfully in the fight against corruption and criminality.

 

In more recent matters, it is necessary to note, with serious concern, the continued erosion of Parliament’s authority, particularly following the Speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza’s refusal to authorize subpoenas for Brown Mogotsi and Paul O’Sullivan, despite a formal request by Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations raised by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

 

This refusal represents a dangerous surrender to intimidation, where individuals who openly display contempt for Parliament are effectively shielded from accountability through unverified claims of security threats. We reject this logic that Parliament, as the highest expression of the will of the people, can be held hostage by witnesses who make extraordinary demands for special treatment when the current mechanisms of safety have been significantly adequate so far.

 

The EFF remains deeply disturbed that the Speaker chose to prioritize unsubstantiated claims of personal risk over the constitutional duty to uphold the authority, dignity and oversight powers of Parliament. Accepting such claims without verified intelligence, formal risk assessments or security briefings sets a reckless precedent in which any individual, particularly the powerful and wellconnected, can evade scrutiny simply by invoking fear.

 

Brown Mogotsi has previously appeared before formal state processes, including the Madlanga Commission, without any recorded security incidents. Additionally, O’Sullivan has himself been the one to send threatening messages to previous witnesses and those testifying in Parliament, and through his own revelations in the media has spoken extensively on this matter with extreme enthusiasm and no displayed fear of retaliation.

 

Therefore, the sudden emergence of alleged threats at the precise moment they are required to account before Parliament raises legitimate questions about the credibility of these claims and the motivations behind them. It becomes evident then, that the Speaker’s refusal to authorize subpoenas amounts to political protection.

 

We must all remember that O’Sullivan has got a special relationship with the President of the Republic of South Africa. The same goes to Brown Mogotsi, who claimed to have very close relationship with the suspended Minister of Police – hence the protection we are seeing today.

 

The EFF continues to express concern and disappointment at the continued failure of the Constitutional Court to release judgment in the Phala Phala matter, despite the case having been fully argued in 2024, and the profound public interest it carries. South African constitutional jurisprudence and established court norms require that judgments, particularly in matters of national importance involving the conduct of a sitting President, be delivered within a three-month period. This prolonged silence from the apex court therefore undermines public confidence in the judiciary and creates the perception of selective urgency when political power is implicated.

 

The EFF delivered a memorandum to the Constitutional Court in November 2025, which outlined how delays in releasing judgments especially where constitutional accountability is at stake erode the principles of transparency, equality before the law, and justice without fear or favour. Justice delayed is justice denied, particularly when the matter concerns established prima facie evidence of serious misconduct, foreign currency concealment, and violations of constitutional obligations.

 

Internationally, there is a need to reflect deeply on the erosion of human rights, racialised immigration enforcement, and the dangers posed to millions of people who will seek to attend the FIFA World Cup scheduled for 2026 co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

 

Our movement has consistently denounced the United States government’s suspension of immigrant visa processing for at least 75 countries, including several whose teams have qualified for the World Cup, such as Brazil, Colombia, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay, Guatemala, and Uzbekistan.

 

This cruel policy creates a situation where fans, players, coaching staff from these nations, and indeed any ordinary supporter without privileged status, face the real risk of visa denial, detention by ICE, deportation, or unsafe conditions simply for wanting to attend a global sporting event. Amnesty and human rights organizations have already raised alarm about the abuses by US immigration authorities that jeopardize the safety of foreign visitors.

 

In this context, the EFF once again makes an unambiguous call for a global boycott of the FIFA World Cup in the United States. A sporting boycott is not merely symbolic, but it is rooted in a proud history of struggle. Our own democracy, and the liberation of the African continent, were profoundly shaped by sporting and cultural boycotts that rejected apartheid, colonialism, and injustice wherever they prevailed. We are, therefore, morally compelled to extend this tradition of solidarity to all victims of US aggression and exclusion.

 

The USA’s current foreign policy, from threats and military interventions in Venezuela, economic pressures through the blockade on Cuba, geopolitical posturing in Greenland and the Arctic, to destabilizing efforts in Colombia and Mexico reflects a predatory exercise of power driven by violence and exploitation. We condemn the blockade against Cuba, the arrest of a democratically elected President Maduro and all measures that punish nations for asserting their sovereignty.

 

We must not neglect to mention the tragic events unfolding in East Africa, where the 2026 Ugandan general election was marred by a nationwide internet blackout, repression of civil society, violence against opposition supporters, and the suppression of independent media and communication.

 

Just days before the vote, the Uganda Communications Commission ordered the shutdown of internet and mobile services in a brazen attempt to blind citizens to the democratic process and undermine transparency at a crucial moment when information is indispensable.

 

Reports from international human rights organizations confirm that these steps violate fundamental rights to access information and free expression, creating an information vacuum that shields abuses, delays results, and erodes public confidence in the integrity of the election. It is additionally concerning as this has become a trend in the region, having similarly occurred in the Tanzanian presidential election just late last year.

 

We condemn the violence and intimidation directed against opposition figures, political activists, and voters, and the unaccountable use of security forces to silence dissent. The EFF stands in firm solidarity with the people of Uganda and calls on regional and international bodies to recognize these elections as illegitimate and incompatible with democratic norms.

 

We call on all ground forces to heed the call that this year, we either survive and liberate our people, or we die and prolong their misery, unemployment, landlessness and poverty. Let us head to the ground and mobilize our people towards building people-centred municipalities with reliable water, electricity and services.

ISSUED BY ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Sinawo Thambo (National Spokesperson) 072 629 7422

Thembi Msane (National Spokesperson) 061 467 8169

Andiswa Madikazi (Parliament Media Liason) 069 516 4924

Thato Lebyane (Media Inquiries) 078 563 1581