While trying to placate investors by saying that this was not official ANC policy, the ANC none-the-less defended his right to openly debate such proposals...
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Now, like Po the cuddly Kung Fu panda, Malema is back and drawing an even bigger following. And in much the same way as we overlook Po's personal foibles, the hungry South African youth (without much prospect of a good job or stable future) overlook the fact that Malema is living in cuddly panda-belly inducing luxury, while making revolutionary promises to fuel frustrations and his rise to power.
He's upped the stakes with his second term Youth League election promises adding banks to the nationalisation list, along with the mines, as well as Mugabe-style land grabs to speed up land redistribution and transformation... and is back with twice the awfulness for any level-headed South African - but twice the awesomeness in the eyes of his followers.
The dilemma we face with Malema is: should we take him seriously (his suggestions would spell economic ruin for the country, which makes them laughable - yet his revolutionary call has mass appeal with the apparently disadvantaged youth) or do his impassioned and racially divisive speeches fall into the realm of political Kung Fu posturing and make believe?
I'd like to believe the latter, but would feel more inclined to switch of my alarm if the (weak seeming) ANC leadership stepped up and DID something. JuJu has flexed his political muscle again... and it feels like we're all watching in the movie seats like passive spectators, not daring to believe this is real.
