'MKP is dead before it was born. They are killing each other. They are destroying each other. They are expelling each other.'
Elections 2026
EFF leader Julius Malema addresses a rally in KZN on 19 September 2026. Picture: X/ @EFFSouthAfrica
EFF president Julius Malema has taken broad shots at his political rivals, claiming the ANC can no longer ride on the legacy of Mandela, and that the MK Party is “dead”.
Malema addressed a KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Manifesto Rally in Inanda on Saturday, urging voters to stop holding on to old leaders and see themselves as the change.
“Mandela is no more. You can’t vote for President [Jacob] Zuma. He is too old. He is not the future. The future is you. The future is the EFF. The future is your children.”
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View MapHe also took aim at the MK Party, led by Zuma, saying it was “dead”.
“MKP is dead before it was born. They are killing each other. They are destroying each other. They are expelling each other.
“How are you going to have a municipality where you are not sure whether the mayor will be the mayor the next day?”
He said that while the EFF’s structures were settled, the MK Party changed leadership often, a sign of “disorganisation”.
Despite a strong showing in the 2024 general elections, where it amassed the most votes in KwaZulu-Natal and replaced the EFF as the country’s third-largest party, the MK Party has been plagued by constant leadership shuffles and suspensions.
Just last week, Zuma removed eThekwini mayoral candidate Zandile Hlophe-Mkhwanazi and disbanded the party’s Presidential Task Team again, amid an investigation into alleged manipulation of councillor candidate lists.
ANC is ‘dying’
ANC candidates were also left off lists sent to the IEC, the subject of an electoral court battle this week. Malema claimed the fiasco was a sign of a “sinking ship”.
“It is dying a natural death. Why would you join a sinking ship? It is dying, and the only organisation rising is the EFF.”
