Pieter du Toit | Election Brief: Ethnic entrepreneurs Malema, EFF set to benefit from ANC decline

There is no doubt that the EFF has become a viable political project. It has survived four election cycles and could be poised to take advantage of the ANC's further decline, writes Pieter du Toit.

First things first: the EFF seems to be in a semi-decent position heading towards the next national election sometime in the autumn and winter of 2024. Julius Malema's party, despite being linked to a galaxy of corruption and criminal allegations and forever pursuing aggressive populist politics, could be primed to improve on its previous showings in 2014 and 2019.

The EFF has undoubtedly been the most successful of the ANC offshoot parties. Formed in 2013 after the expulsion of Malema and his wingmen from the ANC, the EFF has positioned itself as a radical, pro-African and nominally socialist party. It is unafraid of making outrageous statements, it regularly misreads the national mood, and is always turning every disagreement or conflict into a racial issue.