Thousands of energetic supporters turned out in Gwabouw, Overberg on Saturday as Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema held a campaign rally ahead of South Africa’s national elections on May 29th.
Video footage shared by the EFF on social media showed Malema, referred to as “President Julius_S_Malema,” addressing a massive crowd during the “EFF Community Meeting” in the Western Cape province town.
“#EFFCommunityMeetings,” the party captioned the clips, which depicted a sea of red EFF shirts and banners as Malema whipped up the enthusiastic throngs with his trademark fiery rhetoric.
The huge turnout in Overberg comes after Malema earlier met with youth in Nkomazi, who confirmed they are casting their votes for the EFF only in the upcoming polls.
The growing youth support demonstrates the rising draw of Malema and the left-wing EFF as they crisscross the country rallying support before South Africans go to the polls in just over a week. The EFF is looking to build on their gains from 2019, when they emerged as a potent challenger to the long-ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Malema’s speech on Saturday likely hit on the EFF’s core campaign themes – economic empowerment for black South Africans, land redistribution, fighting corruption and inequality. While controversial, the party’s populist economic policies have resonated with many poor, working-class and young citizens.
Such massive show of support in the Overberg region and from youth in Nkomazi bodes well for the EFF’s electoral chances in the Western Cape, Mpumalanga and nationally on May 29th. However, they still face an uphill climb to seriously threaten the ANC’s dominance after nearly three decades in power.
As election day nears, all eyes will be on whether the EFF can turn their evident enthusiastic support, especially among young people, on the campaign trail into increased votes and parliamentary seats.
