Julius Sello Malema: a politician full of contradictions

Comments about Malema in the in South African social media confirmed my fears about him. Malema does not take critiques kindly; for this reason, he has fallen out with his right-hand-man, Shivambu: there could other serious reasons, sure. This is how bad things had become.  We have adored Malema for too long and written thousands of miles of articles for his courage to speak out.  But the contradictions in Malema are not spoken. His inability to understand regional political events, has forever shaken Zimbabweans of Ndebele ethnic group. A week ago, Malema told us to go out in the streets and revolt again Mnangagwa. Why revolt against Mnangagwa now, and not Mugabe then. He hero-worshipped the former President Mugabe and wears a Mugabe faced T-Shirt bearing his signature on it. Mugabe is Africa’s hero, according to Malema, Mugabe is his hero. Malema was three years old when Zimbabwe got independent in 1980; he was 7 years when Gukurahundi atrocities took place in Matabeleland from 1983 to 1987. The cancel culture permits him to delete what he does not want to hear his hero, Robert Mugabe. He fears the Gukurahundi atrocities will alter his narrative about him., a genocidist: a narrative he treasures and worshiped.  

Malema should be asked another question: does he know the difference between Mugabe mark one and Mugabe mark two? Mnangagwa shared a symbiotic relationship with Robert Mugabe. Malema, a young politician must have informed, understood a strange relationship between Mnangagwa and Robert Mugabe. Christopher Mutsvangwa put Malema to order: he told him in no uncertain terms, to mind his political failings in EFF party; why and how he ferried badly in the May 2024 general elections. Hardly a week, Malema is sinking in EFF turmoil, in deep political trouble, he cannot even breath. Storms in a teacup with his deputy Shivambu transformed into irrevocable differences. Reality is playing out openly for all to see.

Honestly, I saw that coming about Julius Malema. When activists in the African continent started to hero-worship him to be a true Pan-African, me included: he became full of it. He assumed to become the voice in Africa. A position of a Pan-Africanist demands factors on the ground: he or she must be an outright activist with privileges with unspeakable language not used by decent citizens. However, Malema is President of a mandated political party in parliament. He has a serious project on his hands. The EFF got a mandate to usher black South Africans economic freedom. Malema should be told to stick to the project and see it through withing a defined timeframe than to scatter his precious talent and energy.  He is more about continental politics to gain continental appraisal only. Is Malema slowly reneging his noble project, EFF? He glossed over his election success when the EFF won previous elections resoundingly and they entered the Union Buildings. What Julius Malema must have done then on or should be doing is to grow his EFF party base to a higher level. That should give him a needed voice to challenge continental issues. President Mandela had a vast political base in South Africa first before he was recognized globally. Malema has an organic example in Mandela to tape from.

Does Malema have advisers in EFF who advise him what to say in the public? What I know about African leaders is their disdainful attitude towards advice especially advice coming from someone with a lesser position than himself. His press statement after the resignation of his deputy did not convince much but had hallmarks of self-importance. An adviser would have told Malema to be careful about his Hail Mary comments about xenophobia in South Africa. To say all African migrants can come to South Africa is not realistic. But he knows that such a rhetoric sits well in the ears of citizens north of SA. Malema should have openly approached Operation Dudula and demand to know their sources sponsoring them? To kill black Africans in high density townships will always be associates with apartheid South Africa.

Malema should have addressed organic fears of xenophobia and worked on them, calmed them political-correctly at his EFF party platform, and not African social media platforms. He still needs to grow his political base on issues that address the fears and deep concerns of the majority black. Instead, he assumes that what he says can only be politically correct: he gives the impression that, what he thinks and says about xenophobia can only be right and everyone must follow his own political line. Gauging the political mood on the ground and acting accordingly and correctly, is a virtue. About how many political suicides has Malema committed inadvertently, pushed by a feeling to sound Pan-African, applauding a fish for swimming! In Malema, we could be talking about a narcissist gradually turning into dictator: it will be difficult to control him with time.

Malema lost it in Matabeleland/Zimbabwe when he went out of his way to embrace Mugabe: a leader that authored genocide in our lifetime. He overlooked serious issues in a leader that had blood in his hands because Mugabe sounded Pan-African in international platforms. It is interesting to realize how Malema twists political statements to become relevant at a precise moment. There is no information given, how Malema switched from hero Mugabe to villain Mnangagwa. Soundingly furious; he tells Zimbabweans to rise, kick Mnangagwa on his a*s and take over power. If Zimbabweans were stupid to execute a dubious instruction coming from a neighborhood opposition who has not clues in solving looming internal squabbles in his compound. However, the statement remains genuinely correct albeit in different contexts. Malema has been long enough in politics to know he cannot call for a revolution outside his borders. No revolution is ignited and stage-managed externally. Malema wants to talk loud and pitch high to get African appraisal and recognition he craves.  This is how Africa crafts its own dictators: however, when the monster starts devouring them indiscriminately, they cry loud.

Three million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, some of whom are highly educated. This demographic is lost to South Africa forever. We expect Malema to lament the African brain drain taking place in African countries first and foremost, and later in the Diaspora. At no time did Malema speak about brain-drain in Africa itself. Brain drain is among several factors destabilizing Africa: why Malema is silent about brain drain is because it is benefitting South Africa immensely more than any country in Africa.

Malema must know that President Traore of Burkina Faso is a Head of State. Malema. He achieved the impossible to become President of Burkina Faso. Quite contrary to Malema, an opposition leader, President Traore can afford to engage international discourses, challenge some African leaderships continentally with dictatorial tendencies to shape up. Malema needed to grow his voter base in South Africa first. EFF is number 4 down the line in the larger scheme of things: is at its infancy. Going around provoking political settings across Africa and beyond to want to sound Pan-African is uncalled for; it exposes his youthfulness.

Malema needs to put all his energy at home in South Africa, put a big fight for the economic emancipation of black people and succeed. We wish him to succeed. Malema should take the Freedom Charter away from Klipstown and put it inside Madikizela Mandela House. The content of the Freedom Charter should be his daily Hail Mary prayer. The anti-imperialism rhetoric has always been upon us for decades. Concrete action is now a factor needed today to defeat global neo-liberal capitalism, and not empty pan-Africanist rhetoric that gives a” feel good” pseudo comfort to Africans. We are vomit sick of a daily diet of pan Africanist rhetoric that has not put any bread and “butter” on the table for the black poor in SA and elsewhere.

Painfully for those of us who believe in African renaissance, carefully following Malema’s political path, there is nothing that informs us that he is on the side of the majority poor black people. The posh life that Malema commands is reminiscent of that of our President Nelson Chamisa in Zimbabwe. Somehow, he manages to openly justify to us why he must enjoy opulence. (Eating on our behalf before the EFF project has started) Time will come when the black poor majority will see through Malema: see how they were sold a dummy to vote for EFF. Malema does not realize the gold in his hands: that gold is EFF. If this project had genuine players, it was going to set a precedence across Africa, how economic war was fought South Africa, and winnable.  

The EFF party colour red is good. However, it is not enough: must be followed by political content on the ground to effect economic change and a high premium for changing the lives of the poor black majority. His effort of liberating South Africa from economic bondage needs a transparent plan A & plan B for us to follow. EFF comrades must go back to the drawing board, make timelines on how they will implement EFF policies that will improve economic conditions of majority poor black South Africans. This point must be emphasized because it is still possible in South Africa to democratically navigate a shift democratically in favour of the poor black majority. In sharp contrast to Zimbabwe, this window closed. There is full dictatorship in Zimbabwe. However, this democratic window in SA will close soon if Malema and the comrades in EFF are not careful.

What is brewing unnoticed in South Africa are political transformations with a full-blown neoliberal diet that will sweep away a fragile GNU to favour anti-black globalist neo-liberal government. Mark this space and visit it again in the next South African general elections. South African GNU should be called a government of neo-liberal unity. It is disturbing to realize that EFF wanted to be stakeholders. Malema is drunk with power-presidency of an opposition leadership, a party that has regressed.  Malema does not see danger lingering upon South Africa. Malema and EFF should wake up from their slumber before it’s too late. Certainly not Zimbabwe, South Africa can be a colony again. My scatter shots!