EFF leader Julius Malema. (Wald Sweegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ahead of this Saturday's Tsela Tupah rally, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema appeared to acknowledge he faces a possible defeat at the polls on Election Day, May 29th.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his final campaign rally in Seshego on Friday, the EFF leader said the EFF would welcome whatever outcome was achieved during the elections.
He added that the EFF had done “everything humanly possible” with its limited resources to ensure it could run an effective campaign.
“We accept the voice of the will of the South African people. Whatever the outcome, we will not have any doubts because we campaigned and nobody stopped us. We spoke to the people and nobody stopped us,” he said.
“The fact that the public did not get the message means we need more time to convince the public about the EFF,” he said.
The party leader added that the EFF's campaign had been very successful and said he was confident that its message had resonated in South Africa. The EFF is aiming to increase voter turnout and stop the Democratic Alliance (DA) from becoming the official opposition party.
The party claims it is seeking one million votes in Gauteng and a further one million in KwaZulu-Natal to reach its target.
This goal was threatened when former president Jacob Zuma endorsed the Umkhonto weSizwe party in December. Mr Zuma's popularity in KwaZulu-Natal poses a threat to the ANC, EFF and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in the province.
The EFF was hoping to win enough votes to give the party an edge in forming a coalition government, something the DA has also said it is not interested in doing with the EFF, which sees the party as its primary enemy.
According to News24, security firm Fidelity issued a warning about possible protests in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, followed by a similar notice from banking group FirstRand on Thursday.
KwaZulu-Natal police are reportedly working with the South African National Defence Force, Criminal Intelligence and private security companies to avoid possible violence both on election day and after the vote on May 29.
This comes after Zuma lost an appeal by the South African Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court removed him from the party's list of candidates competing for parliamentary posts.
Malema dismissed the threat analysis, saying the EFF was not worried about possible violence. He said Zuma's Umkhonto weSizwe party was not a threat.
“The country's security forces are well equipped to deal with any situation that may arise. We see no reason for it to be a threat. We are ensuring that EFF personnel are present at all polling stations to protect the EFF vote.”
“We have a force called the Mlungisi Malamulela Battalion that is up and waiting. If anyone says there are no party members at this polling station or that polling station and the EFF is not visible, we will instruct the nearest university or campus to immediately mobilise at that polling station to secure votes,” he said.
He added that political parties must secure votes on May 29 and refrain from complaining after the elections.
“If you look at where we are right now, we're in a strong position. We're everywhere,” he said.
Malema said the party had trained its members and provided food rations to ensure they were fed on the day.