Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema took the stage at his party’s third National People’s Assembly (NPA) at the Nasrec Conference Centre in Johannesburg to deliver a marathon political report on the state of the red berets in the aftermath of the party’s performance in the May elections and the exodus of several high-profile leaders.

On day two of the highly anticipated electoral conference, Malema’s address, which went on for over three-and-a-half hours, sought to highlight how the party has fared over the past five years, but most importantly for the EFF leader, to reaffirm what the under-fire party stands for.

“At this third National People’s Assembly, we are faced with a new moment, where the EFF experienced its first electoral decline and suffered unprecedented levels of sabotage and infiltration. It is for this reason that the theme for this NPA is to defend, rebuild and advance the struggle for economic freedom because, for the first time, the revolution is under genuine threat of disruption that risks delaying our freedom for generations to come,” Malema said.

The EFF leader’s comments come after the party secured only 9.52% of the vote in the national and provincial elections earlier this year, a 1.28% decline from the support in 2019. Following its showing in the May polls, key figures in the EFF, Floyd Shivambu, Busisiwe Makhwebane and Dali Mpofu, deserted the party and crossed the political aisle to join the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party.

After a year of turmoil for the EFF, Malema said that it was the party’s duty to rebuild economic emancipation and the electorate’s faith in the principle of economic freedom and justice, adding, “the EFF remains the most potent and viable weapon for the liberation of African people”.

Malema claimed that despite the party’s decline in the share of the vote during the national and provincial elections, the EFF remains “the most reliable vehicle to carry the baton of economic liberation of marginalised people forward”. This, Malema said, is what should shape all engagements during the NPA.