Viva the revolution -- when is it, Mr Malema?

How would you feel if someone threw a revolution and nobody came? Yeah, me too — awful, isn’t it?

According to ANCYL president Julius Malema: “The forces we defeated in 1994, the ultra-rightwing, the imperialists and the colonisers. They have come together to undermine the ushering in of a democratic dispensation. They do this by projecting the ANC leadership as the most corrupt people, who are lazy, who are womanisers, who are drunkards, who want money that comes easily without hard work. We can’t allow that to happen.”

Leaving aside the obvious, in terms of what transpired in 1994, I would be interested to learn who the colonisers and imperialists were. To which colony or what empire are we referring? As it was an election, perhaps we need just the names of the parties who were standing for the colonisers or imperialists.

The repeated use of the word “revolution” in a country where it is inappropriate is cause for concern. It can only suggest that Mr Malema is taking his cue from the worst African leader on the continent, because it is a term that Mugabe and Zanu-PF are using over and over again.

Almost every African country save South Africa has now distanced itself from and condemned Zimbabwe. This is not to say that South Africans aren’t coming out in huge numbers against the butcher up north; simply, as a country we have not officially gone on record. World leaders are starting to threaten intervention and war-crimes tribunals for Mad Bob, and here we have the ANCYL leader seemingly quoting from the psalms of Bob.

If you’re going to use role models, what happened to Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela or Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

At least choose someone who is generally recognised as a success and stands for decency and upliftment. Bob stands for economic meltdown, wiping out poverty by killing the poor and final retreat into the last mental outpourings of dictatorial insanity — God appointed me, God must remove me.

Did anyone get God’s number? I’d just like to let him know that he must have forgotten senor psychopath during his last visit to Zimbabwe.

In the same interview, Malema was asked: “So at what point would you take up arms?”

To which he replied: “That point will present itself. But for now we think everything is still in order; state institutions are still intact. We have confidence in them and the ANC leadership, in the whole process. But people shouldn’t think that because we respect the law our militancy has vanished.”

Unless my English has become so poor that I should try Afrikaans full time, this means: that point will come (how else do you interpret will — not may — present itself?). That is confirmation of a call to arms — the only question at this point being timing.

To whom is Malema speaking?

The government is the ANC, appointed by the party, and the organs of state are primarily run by the black people of South Africa. So when the time comes to take up these arms it will, in every likelihood I can imagine, be against an ANC government unless he believes that one of the opposition parties will put in an appearance soon.

And to think Tendai Biti was charged with treason for saying nasty things against Mad Bob. Unless I’m losing it, this is a direct threat against the government of South Africa, selected from the ANC last time I checked. Don’t take my word for it, though — seems I missed an entire revolution.

While I’m at it, I was surprised to see Cosatu’s Zwelinzima Vavi join in on this one. Cosatu has generally been the voice of sanity, championing our poor and the plight of the masses in Zimbabwe. In this case I totally disagree with the line it is taking.

Gentlemen, your suggestions are tantamount to a call to anarchy and conflict.

If they are simply meant to demonstrate loyalty, then use words appropriate to that.

Best for last: City Press‘s Khaitu Mamaila’s article on the Malema issue.

The only problem with ignoring Malema is that he is speaking to a large audience. Who knows, 20 years ago young Zanu-PF leaders might well have been making the same types of calls regarding a certain Mr Mugabe?

And were ignored.