EFF leader Julius Malema has stirred controversy by encouraging “poor people” to have children, promising that his party would double social grant payouts if elected into governance. During a provincial manifesto launch in East London on Thursday, Malema stated, “Comrades, make children. I will pay for it. We will double child social grants from R510 to R1,020. Our children deserve better. Please don’t be lazy. Make children.”

The EFF plans to increase grants for older persons from R2,090 to R4,180, grants for people living with disabilities from R2,090 to R4,180, and child grants from R510 to R1,020. Malema believes doubling social grants would help reduce poverty levels in South Africa.

As of August 2023, South Africa had 11,876,076 social grant recipients, with the Eastern Cape accounting for 2,885,821 of the total and 43% of the province’s population dependent on grants. Malema encouraged the poor to have children, stating, “Being born to a poor family doesn’t mean you are going to die poor. You can change that family and make it a better family.”

While acknowledging the issue of teenage pregnancies, Malema clarified that his encouragement was directed at adults, not children. “The poor have a right to make children. When we say make children, we are not speaking to children. Children must go to school.”

Additionally, Malema promised that under an EFF government, people living with disabilities would have state-built houses within a year and every government office would have personnel proficient in sign language to cater to their needs.