Comments on: Malema is not going to disappear, not now, not ever

By: Alfred

Alfred — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:09:30 +0000

Theo my this is great,a phenomenal approach to what has ripped this country in a while and i salute you for such a remarkable,thought provoking correct artcle.Julius,not only is he the most talked about politician but the most negetively talked about politicia but not a single negetive comment from such urtterances make a dent on his life.The brother is definetely not about to dissarpear anytime soon and those that cannot live with that may as well join the Hundleys and ship to Canada.And as for this Rainbow Nation thing,it is an absolute farce,in need of a re-dress because so far the impact it has made has resulted in more deaths,threads,racial abuse and intollerence among the very same nation it was suppose to unite.It is high time we south africans begin a firce dialogue that would address this desppicable farnace it has ripped our country-change that we be-moan almost every single sunrise and sunset.Youths,like Malemas demand change,untill the is change,they will not dissarpear not now not anytime soon.

By: Average Joe

Average Joe — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:50:09 +0000

I think Julius and the author of this piece are populists.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:35:21 +0000

AIDS and foetal alcohol syndrome and car-hijacking and minibus taxi overcrowding are also not going to disappear, not now, not ever either.

Just because something isn’t going to disappear, ever, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing really worth having. Indelible doesn’t equal incredible.

By: sid

sid — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:08:38 +0000

Ah Vusi, a couple of notes. Sure there was all sorts of terrible “things” during apartheid but should we compare ourselves to-day to them? Thank goodness it’s over. Other countries have the terrible “things” too, but statistics show them to be at way lower levels than SA. As for action, absolutely fantastic but it’s often nothing or very little (Mr Shaik – good lad that). As for black people doing well that is also fantastic to fight through a poor education system, rise above AA and BEE and provide a backbone to SA. I never in a million years believe whites can do it – the best they can do is contribute.

But in all these things, do we really need a leader like Julius Malema, busy ranting and inciting racism, scaring whites into leaving. Or one who can actually cement the population and deliver things other than words. Things like houses, water, toilets, education, safety etc.

By: pete ess

pete ess — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:09:53 +0000

Haven’t read any of the 55 comments(!) but want to say I agree with you. LISTEN to Julius – MANY many young voters are. He strikes a chord that the fatcat kleptocracy does not (especially when they’re trying to be PC or trying to “reassure investors”).

By: Vusi Nzaphs

Vusi Nzaphs — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:02:08 +0000

A top South African journalist and author believes that ANC Youth League President Julius Malema has his sights set on becoming the country’s next president.

The World According to Julius Malema – which documents his meteoric rise to power into “the most influential politician” in the ANC – written by veteran journalist Max du Preez and co-authored by journalist Mandy Rossouw, was launched yesterday.

President Jacob Zuma has reportedly said the African National Congress youth leader does sometimes go “overboard”.

Zuma was quoted as saying: “We’ve got to talk to Julius, we’ve got to grow him [and] make him to become a leader that we want to know.”

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20090917103946909C423151

By: JJ

JJ — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:14:07 +0000

@Paul. You make quite a compelling point and I have to agree with you. This says more about us than about Malema. How else would our support/criticsm be divided along racial lines? Because of that, I have to agree with you Theo, we should get talking. Not only that, we should start doing.

By: Frans De Reiger

Frans De Reiger — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:00:28 +0000

I personally find that Malema is providing SA with an invaluable service. His supporters can be publically identified as those most likely to have been prejudiced in the common sense department during their conception. As such these people are of little practical consequence in a civilized society.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:41:22 +0000

Yes, Malema is an intelligent person. And yes, he speaks for the poor and disenfranchised black South Africans more than (almost) anyone else I can think of.

I heard an interview with him on Radio 2000 last year and I was impressed with the thought and intelligence that went into his replies. Anyone who thinks he is a fool is themselves ignorant of the facts.

What concerns this whitey is that the rhetoric of race and aggression will not take us where we want to go as a nation. And it seems that the Malema-lovers and the Malema-haters both suffer from the same disease: being unable to describe the man accurately.

The haters want to demonise him and characterise him as a fool, an uneducated bumpkin, a rabble-rouser and so on. The lovers want to deify him as their saviour, the only one who understands the plight of the poor, a future leader, and so on.

The truth is that he is somewhere in the middle. He has the potential to be a great leader, but I don’t see it happening if he continues in his current path, playing to the crowds, stirring up debate by being provocative and playing to the prejudices of both sides.

I agree that he is here to stay. I just think that people’s reactions to him say more about us as a polarised nation than they do about the man himself. We are projecting instead of introspecting.

By: rayjay

rayjay — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:14:20 +0000

With few exceptions support for this blog comes from blacks and criticism from whites. SA blacks, even the so-called educated ones think Malema is great because he gets thinking (white) people upset by the rubbish he speaks. The Semenya saga showed him and Winnie up for what they are, for all to see: opportunistic racists. Comedians/political cabaret artists need just repeat what was said by those two jokers about that ‘little girl’, it will keep people laughing for years to come. Not their voters though.