Don’t Vote For Us If We Fail: Julius Malema’s Own Words Come Back To Bite Him Ahead Of 2026 Election

Kallie Kriel, Chief Executive Officer of civil rights organization AfriForum, has publicly questioned the credibility of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and its commander-in-chief, Julius Malema, over new campaign promises made ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

Kriel singled out the EFF’s latest pledge to construct a state-of-the-art, 24-hour healthcare clinic in Tembisa, using Malema’s previous track record of unfulfilled infrastructure commitments to challenge the feasibility of the proposed project. Specifically, the AfriForum chief referenced a high-profile public promise made by Malema during the EFF’s national elective conference in 2019. At the time, Malema committed that the party would build an EFF-owned and operated private school in Alexandra to serve underprivileged children within five years, explicitly telling delegates and supporters that if the party failed to deliver on the project, voters should not re-elect the red berets.

Pointing to the passage of time, Kriel highlighted that over six years have elapsed since the original declaration without a single brick being laid or any tangible infrastructure materializing in Alexandra. He argued that the complete absence of the promised school demonstrates a persistent gap between the opposition party’s public rhetoric and its operational delivery capacity. Kriel maintained that political organizations should be judged by their track record of fulfilling grand developmental pledges rather than seasonal campaign slogans designed to capture votes in marginalized urban centers.

The public exchange comes at a sensitive moment in the local government election cycle, where major political parties are competing aggressively for control of key Gauteng townships, including Alexandra and Tembisa. Both informal settlements face severe socio-economic challenges, including overcrowded healthcare facilities, inadequate school infrastructure, and strained municipal services. Political analysts observe that opposition organizations routinely target these densely populated communities with ambitious infrastructure proposals to capitalize on widespread public dissatisfaction with state service delivery.

By resurfacing Malema’s unkept commitment, Kriel aimed to sow skepticism among working-class voters regarding the viability of the EFF’s new health facility in Tembisa. The critique reflects broader political dynamics across South Africa’s electoral landscape, where civil society groups and political rivals are increasingly scrutinizing party manifestos and holding political leaders accountable to their past public pledges ahead of the municipal ballot.

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