Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has hit back at former party deputy president Floyd Shivambu after he criticised the party for spending millions of rands on music festivals and artists during its 2026 Local Government Election campaign.
Responding to Shivambu’s remarks, Malema defended the party’s spending, saying the EFF had the right to decide how it used its own money.
“It’s our millions. Even if we want to spend our millions on BBLs, we’ll do it. What’s the problem? It’s our money. How do you come and want to dictate how people spend their money?” Malema said.
He also questioned Shivambu’s right to comment on the party’s financial decisions, taking aim at his former colleague’s personal wealth and electoral support.
“You don’t have a million voters, you don’t have the right to speak about the number million. Get a million voters first, then you will understand that for you to service a million voters, you have to spend millions of rands,” Malema said.
Malema further argued that the EFF’s previous electoral support justified spending millions on its political activities, pointing to the 2.4 million votes the party received in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
“How do you spend R50 000 to service those numbers?” he asked.
Shivambu, now leader of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement, had earlier questioned how the EFF could spend heavily on its campaign, including hosting multiple music festivals, yet fail to persuade more than 7% of voters to support it.
At the time of Shivambu’s comments, with 88% of the national vote counted, the EFF was polling at approximately 6.24%.
The exchange follows a series of public criticisms between the two former EFF leaders since Shivambu’s departure from the party.
