'Kill me first': Malema hits back at calls for him to step down
EFF leader Julius Malema has rejected calls for his resignation following the party's performance in the 2026 local government elections. Malema blamed an international smear campaign and right-wing groups for the party's decline in support.
Why it matters
The internal stability of the EFF and its electoral performance are significant indicators of shifting political power in South Africa.
Furious EFF leader Julius Malema has hit back at calls for him to step down, saying those calling for his removal want to destroy the party and will have to 'kill him first'.
Malema was briefing the media at the National Results Operations Centre (NROC) in Midrand on Saturday, following the EFF’s performance in the 2026 local government elections.
Responding to calls for a change in leadership, Malema said the suggestion that he should leave the party was an attempt to undermine the EFF.
“I can guarantee you that there must be succession in the EFF. Malema must leave the EFF, maybe the EFF will grow. It’s a call to kill the EFF,” he said.
“The people who are saying those things are people who don’t love the EFF.
“They want to kill it. You will not kill the EFF. Kill me first, then the EFF.”
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