# Malema promises Nelson Mandela Bay free utilities and bigger houses > The EFF leader pledges free water and electricity, larger RDP homes and increased grants, but offers no funding plan for promises beyond local government's powers. - Title: Malema promises Nelson Mandela Bay free utilities and bigger… - Summary: The EFF leader pledges free water and electricity, larger RDP homes and increased grants, but offers no funding plan for promises beyond local government's… - Keywords: julius malema, eff, nelson mandela bay, local elections 2026, free water and electricity, rdp houses, social grants, gqeberha, eastern cape, news, politics, Malema - Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-04-moneybags-malema-promises-nmb-free-water-and-electricity-and-bigger-rdp-houses - Author: Andisa Bonani - Published: 2026-10-04T20:21:58+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: julius malema, eff, nelson mandela bay, local elections 2026, free water and electricity, rdp houses, social grants, gqeberha, eastern cape, news, politics ## Malema's manifesto launch in the Bay EFF president Julius Malema promised Nelson Mandela Bay residents free water and electricity, bigger RDP houses, more social grants and free school meals and uniforms at Motherwell Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday, three October. ## Why pensioners should get free utilities Malema said pensioners receiving social grants should not pay for water and electricity because they are poor. He questioned why they are treated as poor for grants but rich when paying utilities. > When you give them social grant, you do so because they are poor, but why are they poor only on this aspect but rich when it's time to pay for water and electricity? ## Malema's view on electricity costs Malema said he did not understand why electricity had to be expensive when coal was produced in the country. He said Eskom should produce affordable electricity and not sell it to make a profit. > We want affordable and reliable electricity. We don't want the kind of electricity that is affected when it's raining like today it's affected and there are outages. ## The metro's electricity crisis Nelson Mandela Bay's electricity department runs at a deficit of more than one billion rand, with rates subsidising bulk electricity from Eskom. The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber warned losses could reach one point seven billion rand. ## Water infrastructure in crisis The metro battles to maintain water infrastructure with about seven thousand active leaks along its four thousand seven hundred kilometre network of decaying pipelines. Its infrastructure directorate warned maintenance budget will not last the financial year. ## Malema's plan to identify grant recipients Malema said the EFF would visit South African Social Security Agency offices to obtain grant recipient data and incorporate it into the municipality's systems so they could be exempted from paying for water and electricity. > The industries that operate here and the rich must pay for these services; they must subsidise the poor for making them sick by contaminating water and the environment. ## Malema's proposed pension increase Malema promised to increase the grant for pensioners to four thousand five hundred rand because senior citizens hold poor families together. He said social grants do not come from the ANC and elderly should not fear losing them. ## Free school meals and uniforms Malema said children in school should be fed three times a day so they could concentrate on learning. He said free education including books and uniforms should be mandatory because prisoners and police get uniforms at no cost. > Prisoners get uniforms for free; police and nurses who receive salaries get free uniforms. We want all children to be the same when they are at school; no one should look poorer than the other. ## No fees for higher education Malema said students leaving matric should not worry about registration fees at TVET colleges or universities. He criticised the government for taking students to no-fee schools for twelve years then charging registration fees at higher learning institutions. > These clowns take you to no-fee schools for twelve years. When you pass matric they want registration fees in institutions of higher learning as if the matric certificates come with money. ## Bigger and better RDP houses Malema criticised the ANC government for providing match-box sized and substandard RDP houses. He said the EFF wanted to restore dignity by constructing houses big enough for families and making the RDP houses list public and accessible. > Apartheid houses are still standing, while RDP houses are falling already. That's not quality. We want quality for our people. ## Transparency in council jobs Malema said the same transparency should apply to job opportunities in the council so people were not appointed in ward councillor offices based on the political party they came from. ## Infrastructure overhaul promised Malema told supporters the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality would never be the same after the elections as the EFF would turn it into a construction site with proper sewerage infrastructure and new water pipes to ensure drinkable and healthy water. > We'll make sure that there's proper sewerage infrastructure for our people; sewage should not be running down the streets and our children playing in such conditions. ## Funding questions unanswered Malema did not explain how the financially struggling metro would afford free water and electricity for social grant recipients, increased pensions, free school meals and uniforms, or larger RDP houses. Many promises exceed local government powers. ## Key takeaway EFF president Julius Malema promised Nelson Mandela Bay residents free water, electricity, bigger RDP houses and increased social grants ahead of November fourth local elections, without explaining how the financially struggling metro would fund these pledges.