EFF leader Julius Malema has questioned the fairness of current power-sharing arrangements in provincial governance, noting that his party holds no executive positions despite having more support than several smaller parties combined.
Speaking recently, Malema pointed to Build One South Africa (BOSA), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), stating: “BOSA, IFP, PA – all of them combined, they don’t have numbers more than the EFF, but we don’t have a single MEC, yet we are voting for a budget that is going to serve PA, BOSA, and IFP people.”
He explained that the EFF continues to support budgets it believes will benefit communities, even when the party is excluded from executive roles. However, Malema acknowledged the need to justify this approach to its own supporters in the long term.
His comments reflect growing debates around coalition politics and representation in South Africa’s increasingly fragmented legislatures, where smaller parties sometimes gain executive roles through negotiations despite larger parties holding greater electoral support.
The EFF has not indicated any immediate change in its legislative strategy but suggests internal discussions on political positioning and coalition fairness may intensify.