Malema calls for electoral reform: 'Civil duty' to register and vote

Following a low youth turnout in the 2024 General Elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is calling for all young people to be automatically registered to vote once they turn 18.

The party spent the weekend at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, hosting a strategic planning gathering—or Plenum—ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. Party leadership suggests that their performance in the previous elections would have been significantly stronger had youth participation been higher.

Delivering the closing remarks on Sunday, EFF leader Julius Malema emphasised that major electoral reforms are necessary to strengthen the country's democracy. He argued that registration should not be an optional hurdle but a legal standard.

"We want every child who becomes 18 years old to be registered as a law in South Africa. It is your civil duty as a citizen to vote and to vote for a party of your choice."

Malema added that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) must streamline its processes to make it easier for the youth to participate. He framed the act of voting as a necessary trade-off for demanding government accountability.

"We cannot just be citizens and not play our role—that role is to be a registered voter," Malema stated. "In as much as we demand services from government, we too as citizens must play our role, and that role is to register and vote for a party of your choice."