has promised that an EFF government will provide free or cheaper electricity to households in Mpumalanga.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) President Julius Malema has made access to clean water and affordable power the ultimate battleground for the upcoming municipal elections.
Addressing thousands of supporters at Sy Mthimunye Stadium in eMalahleni today, Malema slammed existing infrastructure failures and outlined non-negotiable service delivery targets for the 4 November 2026 local government elections.
Malema stated that it is an injustice for Mpumalanga residents to face high utility costs when the province’s own resources keep the national grid alive.
“Every household in Mpumalanga must have electricity, and must have cheap electricity. The coal comes from Mpumalanga. We are the ones who produce electricity for the whole of South Africa.”
Turning his attention to the province’s critical water crisis, Malema emphasized that clean drinking water is a fundamental right that must be insulated from municipal corruption and private mining pollution.
“Fighters, we must make sure that on the 4th of November we are at the forefront of the election. Because we want to deliver water to our people; our people want water and they don’t want dirty water from Witbank that is contaminated by underground mining; they want clean water, drinkable water that will not cause diarrhoea.”
To ensure these resources are delivered reliably, Malema declared that an EFF led municipality would ban the use of external contractors for basic maintenance, directing municipal jobs straight to local communities.
“No contractor must be hired to fix burst water pipes, such work should be given to locals.”
The EFF plans to fund these heavily subsidised services by restructuring local budgets, expanding the indigent database automatically using the SASSA registry, and imposing higher utility rates on wealthy residents and large industries to shield the poor.