Mbuyiseni Ndlozi Tells Julius Malema What No One In EFF Dares To Say Out Loud

Former Economic Freedom Fighters MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has responded to party leader Julius Malema’s criticism of his decision to abstain from South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, defending non-voting as a personal choice and questioning the EFF’s declining support.

The dispute followed Ndlozi’s appearance on SABC1’s Daily Thetha, where he said divisions among black political parties had contributed to his decision not to vote. He also criticised parties for failing to address poverty and inequality, arguing that voters should not be expected to support political organisations simply because they are available on the ballot.

Malema addressed Ndlozi’s decision during a media briefing on Saturday, November 7. He described abstaining from voting as abnormal and counter-revolutionary, and questioned how Ndlozi could choose not to vote given his association with former president Thabo Mbeki and the sacrifices made in the struggle for democracy. Malema urged South Africans to cast ballots even if they did not support the EFF.

Ndlozi replied in a lengthy post on X, where he characterised his abstention as deliberate and conscientious. He argued that the right to vote includes the freedom not to vote, and said citizens should not be pressured or criticised for withholding their support.

He also turned the criticism towards the EFF’s election result, asking Malema to account for the party’s reduced vote share. The EFF received 6.22% of the vote in the 2026 local government elections, down from 10.31% in 2021. That is a decline of 4.09 percentage points, or close to 40% of its previous share.

Ndlozi’s argument is that political support must be earned through performance and improvements in people’s lives, rather than treated as an automatic entitlement. He cited the changing electoral fortunes of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape as an example of voters shifting their support over time.

He also referred to calls by anti-apartheid activists, including Ronnie Kasrils and Barney Pityana, for voters to spoil their ballots in 2014 as a form of protest. Ndlozi said deliberate abstention and spoiled ballots can communicate dissatisfaction with the choices offered by political parties.

The exchange has drawn attention to the relationship between the former MP and the EFF leadership, as well as to the party’s performance in the latest elections. Ndlozi left Parliament in 2024 and has since worked with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation.

Malema indicated he would not continue responding to Ndlozi. The disagreement has nevertheless placed the EFF’s electoral decline and the role of voter abstention at the centre of a public debate about political accountability and participation.

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