By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has told the party’s youth structures to drive voter registration among young South Africans ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Addressing the EFF’s Central Youth Elections Task Force in Johannesburg on Monday, Malema said the party would increase efforts to identify unregistered supporters, including through ID checks at rallies and other party activities.
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“We’re not going to have an FNB full of unregistered people; we would rather have fewer people at the FNB, but know that this fewer number is better because they are registered to vote,” Malema said.
Political parties are stepping up mobilisation efforts ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested local government election on 4 November.
The Electoral Commission has previously raised concern about low registration levels among young South Africans, making first-time and younger voters a key battleground for parties.
Malema told the task force that young activists were best placed to reach their peers and persuade them to register.
“It’s only you who can speak the language of the youth, only you can attract the youth and ensure that the youth vote, because the target given to you is so small, that it is possible for you to register those young people in order to meet the youth’s target,” he said.
“For now, we are not speaking to voters; we are speaking to unregistered voters. We want new voters.”
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Malema said the EFF wanted young people to become champions of the poor and campaign for free education, better-equipped schools and improved conditions for students.
“You’re the ones fighting so that NSFAS can allocate allowances on time and pay rental on time because you don’t want to see the children of the poor being chased out of their accommodation,” he said.
He urged students to become activists on campuses, organise around issues affecting them and develop themselves as future leaders.
He also called on the task force to focus on high schools and universities as key sites for voter registration.
