The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will select its candidates for the local government elections based on their work ethic, party leader Julius Malema said on Monday.

“We do not want people who just come and dress well and speak to the leadership and expect to become candidates. We are looking for specific hard-working community people who can uplift, work 24 hours a day, and not make money for themselves,” he told journalists at the party’s list conference in Midrand.

The party planned to submit its candidate list for the August 3 elections on June 2.

Malema said the party had over 3 900 branches in municipalities countrywide.

The EFF was aiming for an equal number of men and women candidates.

“We have the zebra approach, meaning there must be one woman for a man. We want just as much female representation as we do male.”

The party had a broad appeal among the youth, something he claimed other political parties did not have.

“The EFF has addressed the youth apathy and now we are seeing this generation rise. We have got some good, energetic people in our youth. The youth are with the party of progress while the elderly are with the ANC.”

Malema said the party did not have many white candidates. There were just “one or two”.

Malema blamed the ANC for the violence directed at EFF members in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend.

“The people that attacked us were drunk and threw bottles at our members. We assume the ANC [African National Congress] bought them liquor. We are still very happy that in an ANC stronghold like Umlazi, we had a good turnout.”