SOUTH AFRICA | Despite negative growth in the elections, EFF leader Julius Malema remains defiant, asserting that his party is not the biggest loser of the 2024 general elections. Instead, he claims the ANC holds that title, adding that the ANC’s silence is due to the pain of losing to the MK Party.

“The ANC is quiet. They are not saying anything. Here in Gauteng, the money for slay queens has run dry. They used to take money meant for the poor and give it to slay queens. Now their taps have run dry,” Malema stated. As of Saturday, with more than 99% of voting districts counted, the ANC secured 41% of the votes, the DA 21%, the MK Party 14.6%, and the EFF placed fourth with just over 9.4%.

Initially, the EFF anticipated significant growth, but the emergence of the MK Party disrupted these expectations. Malema admitted that the MK Party captured votes from right under their noses, resulting in multiple losers in the election.

Commentators have attributed the EFF’s decline to its open border policy. Malema dismissed these claims, arguing that if this were true, ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance would have performed better in the elections.

“As a reflection, we did well as the EFF. We have no regrets at all. During the elections, we encountered people who were not contributing but were on the list. A principle was issued that everyone must work from their assigned locations. Because some were disrupting the election work, we told them to go home,” Malema explained. Despite the poor election performance, Malema announced he will not quit politics and will remain the leader of the red berets as the party continues its efforts to dislodge the ANC from power.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the disappointing elections, where the MK Party overshadowed the EFF to become the third-largest political party in the country, Malema said their previous growth was due to ANC supporters seeking a new political home after Zuma’s removal from the ruling party.

He believes that with these temporary supporters gone, the EFF is now better positioned to remain a significant force. The party aims to focus on young voters, who demonstrated their loyalty by turning out in large numbers on university campuses. Malema expressed confidence that the EFF will continue to grow in future elections. “We are not the biggest losers; the biggest losers are the ANC. We are happy because we have achieved our mission of bringing ANC support below 50 percent in our lifetime. We always said this animal would be eaten piece by piece. We, as the EFF, were holding onto one piece and preparing to take another when the MK Party took it. We are not complaining because we wanted to humble the ANC,” he concluded.