EFF’s Julius Malema Calls for Blacklisting Fathers Who Refuse to Pay Child Maintenance

EFF’s Julius Malema Calls for Blacklisting Fathers Who Refuse to Pay Child Maintenance

EFF’s Julius Malema Calls for Blacklisting Fathers Who Refuse to Pay Child Maintenance. The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has urged the government to take tough steps against fathers who fail to support their children financially. Speaking at a lively Women’s Day rally in Secunda, Mpumalanga, on 9 August 2025, Malema highlighted the growing problem of child neglect and called for blacklisting those who dodge maintenance payments, making it hard for them to take part in the economy.

Malema’s Fiery Speech on Parental Duties and Child Support

At the heart of Malema’s address was a strong message to men across South Africa: step up and support your children, or face serious consequences. He spoke at the Lillian Ngoyi Centre, a place named after one of the country’s brave women leaders who fought against injustice during apartheid. The rally drew crowds of EFF members, supporters, and locals, all gathered to mark Women’s Day, which remembers the 1956 march by thousands of women against pass laws.

Malema pointed out that more than 170,000 child maintenance applications remain unfinished in courts nationwide, according to figures from the Department of Justice. This backlog shows how many children are left without the financial help they need. He stressed that fathers who ignore their duties are harming society as a whole. “The EFF government is going to make sure that all men who have neglected their children will pay for maintenance, and if they don’t pay, we’re going to blacklist them so that they can’t be active economically,” Malema said.

He went further, linking child neglect to bigger social issues. “When you don’t support your child, you are creating a criminal in our community. The criminals we find in our communities are produced by men who don’t pay maintenance. We are not saying love their mother, but love your children. You may have a problem with their mother, but don’t involve children. They’re innocent.” These words struck a chord with many in the crowd, who cheered as he called for men to put children first, no matter the issues with their mothers.

The Justice Department has already started a programme in Gauteng to blacklist fathers who refuse to pay child maintenance, which Malema praised as a step in the right direction. But he wants this rolled out nationwide under an EFF-led government. This call comes at a time when single mothers often struggle alone to raise children, facing high costs for food, school fees, and housing. Many women at the rally shared stories of chasing fathers through courts for years, only to get little or no help.

Honouring Women’s History and Lillian Ngoyi’s Legacy
Malema began his speech by paying tribute to Lillian Ngoyi, a fearless fighter for women’s and workers’ rights. He reminded the audience of her famous words from 1956: “Must we now carry passes like slaves? Must we be treated like criminals in our own land?” He called this not just a question, but a declaration of war against unfairness. Holding the event at the centre named after her was symbolic, he said, especially in Secunda, a town built around Sasol’s operations during apartheid.

Secunda’s history is tied to the exploitation of black labour in coal mines and factories. Workers, mostly black, faced poor housing, no proper education or health care, and little dignity. Black women suffered the most, living in informal settlements, doing insecure jobs, and raising families in poverty. Malema connected this past to today’s struggles, saying that even 30 years into democracy, Mpumalanga’s women still face deep challenges.

Mpumalanga’s Ongoing Struggles for Women and Communities

Mpumalanga is rich in minerals like coal, platinum, chrome, and manganese, yet many communities remain poor. Malema described how mining and industries pollute the air and water, making people sick. Children are born with health problems, and parents suffer from lung and kidney diseases because companies do not extract resources responsibly. “When these companies get concessions to mine, they are expected to ensure corporate social responsibility, to care for the land and build our communities. However, they refuse to do so, and our government does not hold them responsible,” he said.
He painted a vivid picture of the daily hardships: clinics underfunded and overcrowded, schools packed with too many pupils, and women walking long distances for water and firewood. In places like Embalenhle, women fetch water while companies like Sasol use millions of litres for their processes. In Bushbuckridge and Thembisile, births happen in clinics with too few nurses and medicines.

Hospitals like Shongwe and Mapulaneng are falling apart, hitting women hardest as they care for the sick and wait in long queues.
Malema also spoke about environmental damage. Mine dumps and polluted rivers cause diseases and developmental issues in children. Yet, the government prioritises mining profits over people’s lives. Unemployment is high, with jobs often going to those with political connections. Women with qualifications sit at home, and their businesses are ignored in government deals. Farm workers, mostly women, are underpaid, overworked, and face sexual harassment with no protection.

These are not natural problems, Malema argued—they are choices made by policies that keep people trapped in poverty, service delivery failures, and destruction. He called for urgent change: “The struggle continues for women who are still unemployed, whose businesses are overlooked because they do not sleep with politicians.”
EFF’s Bold Demands for Women’s Empowerment
Since forming in 2013, the EFF has put women at the centre of its fight. Malema highlighted how the party pushed for insourcing cleaners and security guards at universities and municipalities like Johannesburg—jobs that mostly went to women. He listed key demands for Mpumalanga:

• Upgrade and staff all rural clinics properly.
• Create safe public spaces like parks, community halls, and well-lit transport for women and children.
• Audit mining companies for gender equality in jobs, procurement, and community investments. They must prove they benefit locals before taking profits.
• Require provincial departments to report yearly on women in leadership, management, and budgets for gender programmes.
  Malema told the women of Mpumalanga: “The EFF sees you, hears you, and fights for you.” He urged men to join: “Your freedom is incomplete if the women around you live in fear, poverty, and silence.”
  Tackling Gender-Based Violence and Exploitation
  The speech took a firm stand against gender-based violence (GBV). Malema said women are raped in churches, schools, workplaces, and social spots—by men, not themselves. “Men have to stand up. And by standing up, you don’t have to do anything. Just stop raping women. Rape will stop in South Africa.” He called out cowards who abuse the powerless and said no man should lay a hand on a woman. “We must protect them. We must respect them. We must provide for them.”
  He went on to say that any man who does not give women money is irresponsible. Black women face triple oppression—as black, as women, and as working class—so men have a duty to support them. “When you see a black woman, you must know this woman is carrying huge burdens on her shoulder and give her the necessary support.”
  Domestic workers, mostly black women, are the most exploited, facing beatings, harassment, and rape in silence for fear of losing jobs. Under an EFF government, Malema promised audits of homes to protect their rights. Petrol attendants and farm workers must also be safe to raise children without poverty pushing them into drugs and alcohol.
  To fight substance abuse, he said, create jobs and open doors to education. Mpumalanga’s riches in agriculture and mining should benefit locals, not just make them labourers. “We want the ownership of farming and mining in Mpumalanga to be owned by the women of this province, by the young women of this province.” He called for nationalising key parts of the economy to help children and oppressed black women.
  Protecting Vulnerable Workers and Building a Better Future
  Malema shone a light on domestic workers’ silent suffering and vowed protection. He extended this to all women workers, ensuring safe environments so children do not fall into poverty’s traps. Poverty, he said, drives people to drugs and alcohol—not choice. The solution is jobs, education, and ownership.
  The province should not be one of victims but of owners. Strategic economic means must be nationalised for everyone’s benefit. Men must protect women everywhere, and society must empower women to defeat poverty. “When you give women jobs and opportunities, you are guaranteed they will take care of the poor and the children in our townships and rural areas.”

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