EFF's Gabrielle Maritz says she faces racial hatred online
Ongoing: Elections Hot
Maritz, a white Afrikaner woman and first-time EFF candidate for Ward 61 in Cape Town's deep south, says online trolls abuse her. She blames far-right movements across the world for emboldening them.
Maritz, who is 42, said the red berets are the only political formation that can bring South Africa full circle by redressing its past, including apartheid. She said she is not the kind of person people would normally associate with the EFF. She said online trolls are emboldened by the Donald Trump kind of MAGA movement.
She also set out her campaign priorities for the ward. She said residents of Ocean View and Simon's Town must travel to False Bay Hospital if an emergency happens at night. On baboons, she said people should change what they do so that humans and the animals can live in harmony.
The DA won Ward 61 in the 2021 local government elections with 73.64% of the vote. The EFF placed 10th with 0.84%. The EFF has never won a ward in the City of Cape Town, and the party is banking on Maritz to change that.
Key facts
- Who
- Gabrielle Maritz (EFF candidate for Ward 61 in Cape Town, first-time candidate, aged 42); Donald Trump (mentioned by Maritz in reference to the MAGA movement)
- When
- 26 October 2026
- Where
- Cape Town, Ward 61, Simon's Town
- Status
- Reported