EFF leader Julius Malema has described his grandmother, who passed away on Saturday, as a close confidante.

"My confidante is no more, the person who has always believed in me. When detractors accused me of all types of things, she always supported me," said Malema.

He was speaking at the party's  final election rally at the  packed Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Sunday.

Malema said his grandmother, Sarah Malema,  would never have wanted him to be anywhere else than at the rally on Sunday.

"She left me in the good hands of the ground forces of the EFF," Malema said.