It is little wonder that Julius Malema gets so much press and media attention. Regardless of the positions held by Jacob Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe and the rest of the South African cabinet ministers, Malema is the only individual demonstrating any form of leadership in this country. Whether calling for a command team to overthrow the Botswana government, pushing for the nationalisation of mines and banks without compensation or arguing that white owned land should be expropriated, Malema has done one thing right – stepped up to his position as a leader.
In no way whatsoever do I condone any of Malema’s rhetoric. It is a shame he does not use his media attention and leadership abilities to add constructive debate to the development of South Africa, rather than playing the political game of party loyalty, race cards and fundamentalist socio-economic suggestions.
Yet despite this rhetoric, Malema stands out to his supporters and to many of the impoverished citizens of South Africa as a beacon in the darkness. Without a clear course being chartered, implemented and driven by the current members in government it is little wonder that people will settle for the one and only stake in the ground.
As Jon Herskovitz of Reuters Africa says “Malema’s call to nationalize mines and seize white-owned land has unnerved investors but struck a chord with poor blacks who make up the majority of the population and who envision him as a future leader of Africa’s biggest economy.”
Jacob Zuma and the ruling party need to be very clear that the key to resolving the conundrum of Malema’s influence and wayward actions are not to fight him within their own party, but rather to start demonstrating the necessary leadership which their positions require. Leadership in the form of transparency, leadership in the form of unity and leadership in the form of forward development with key areas such a health, education and unemployment.
Failure to do so will only see the ANC running into further disrepair at the expense foreign investment, black-white polarity, South Africa’s economy and almost two decades of hard work.
