Julius ‘Radio Malema’ fell victim to his own tactics

There is a fable that tells of a boy who liked playing pranks on his elders. Working in the fields, he would let out a piercing scream and everyone would rush to his side thinking something bad had befallen him – only to discover he had pranked them again. Then, one day, he got his leg caught in a trap set for wild animals – but his blood-curdling screams drew no response. They were convinced he was back to his old tricks…

The debate on the State of the Nation address provided one such painful lesson for leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Julius Malema.

ANC MP Boy Mamabolo accused Malema of domestic violence in parliament without providing a shred of evidence. It had to take President Cyril Ramaphosa, playing the bigger man, to calm the storm and apologise to Malema, his wife, Mantwa, and the nation for Mamabolo’s unwarranted personal attack on Malema.

As was pointed out by Ramaphosa, weaponising gender-based violence (GBV) to attack another politician shows no respect to women. A visitor from outer space would believe Malema, like the boy in the fable, was a victim. But the victims are Malema’s wife and millions of abused women.

What Mamabolo did was to tear a page from Julius Malema’s Politics 101 Handbook. Forget that Malema introduced this weaponising of GBV by attacking the president on a previous occasion without providing a shred of evidence, it is the EFF leader’s brand of politics to go the personal route in dealing with political opponents.

He has been nicknamed “Babes wa MaFiles” and “Radio Malema” precisely because he is known to dish out compromising personal information to weaken politicians’ political standing. Andile Mngxitama can attest to this. He had his personal financial failings broadcast for the nation to see.

Journalists have not escaped Malema’s penchant for getting personal. They have been threatened into silence because they didn’t want their “files” broadcast on Radio Malema. It was easy for him to continue doing because he was attacking corrupt politicians and very few people called him out for this inappropriate behaviour. Besides, the EFF had chosen a disruptive brand of politics which is keeping them trending on social media. So their leader’s personal politics appeared in line with that strategy.

The only problem was he was opening a door he couldn’t close. Mamabolo went through the same door.

It is also a reflection of how poorly the National Assembly debates have been handled by the presiding officers that Malema could attack Ramaphosa in the way that he did in the past through using alleged instances of the president’s domestic violence.

The EFF can be accused of doing away with the politics of respectability and unnecessary decorum, but not failing to run parliament.

That’s not their job.

But it is their responsibility to keep dignity and respect in national politics.

Malema was no victim, it was just his chickens coming home to roost. And, sadly, women became collateral damage.

Sydney Majoko.

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