The ‘Coming of Julius’
MELVILLE - "If this conversation is still happening, it means we can still win." Richard Poplak, Gareth Cliff and Ranjeni Munusamy discuss Julius Malema's ascendance, and other romps through the intriguing world of South African politics.
In Richard Poplak’s view, the Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader Helen Zille is a ‘twitter troll;’ the report on Nkandla was ‘the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read;’ Mamphele Ramphela is ‘worth two Shakespearian plays;’ Mmusi Maimane ‘doesn’t quite get it,’ and Jacob Zuma is ‘this lizard man who is our president.’
“I wanted this book to be as raucous and in your face as possible,” award-winning journalist Poplak said about his Until Julius Comes.
He describes his writing as ‘bad poetry’. Readers of this book would beg to differ.
Poplak, radio DJ Gareth Cliff and Daily Maverick associate editor Ranjeni Munusamy sat down to discuss the book on everyone’s bucket lists at Lovebooks in Melville on 20 August.
Until Julius Comes is a rollicking journey through the waves of South Africa’s tumultuous current politics.
“The book contains some extraordinary insight coupled with sarcasm and nastiness, which I love,” Cliff said, opening the discussion.
“It’s so scathing and erudite that it’s difficult to avoid the truth if you’re reading it. If you’re not bright, you won’t get this book.”
No political feelings were spared in the ensuing discussion.
“Politics in South Africa can’t be covered conventionally, there are just so many ‘What on earth?’ moments,” Munusamy said.
Poplak said he hadn’t named the book himself, the title was taken from an article he’d written previously. Julius Malema, he said, sells, and books about him would keep selling for 50 years.
“He is a very, very, very interesting and very smart politician,” Poplak said.
“I think we understand that this (EFF) campaign signalled the end of a certain element of political complacency in this country. The development of a genuine radically left voice – and we can argue about whether Julius is reactionary or radical – but I think the pull that the EFF exerts is going to change the way politics is done in this country. We can’t argue that point. So the name of the book seems very, very apposite and feels very much of the moment, and I stand behind it.”
Poplak said the name had originated from an interview he did on the day the DA “decided to deliver some paperwork to Luthuli House and shut the CBD down.There I was, having rocks thrown at my innocent head, and the EFF guys were there as well, and somebody said to me ‘the ANC think they’re going to rule until Jesus comes’. That’s the classic Zuma line. No. It will be until Julius comes.”
He marveled at the campaigning mastery Malema’s Freedom Fighters displayed.
“The EFF rally at Atteridgeville was the most awesome party I’ve ever been to in my life,” Poplak said.
“By the time Julius Malema rolled in – on a Mercedes truck – backed by guys on hogs on motorcycles and race bikes revving their engines in smoke that reeked of kerosene, and all this noise and all this theatre, I’m getting shivers thinking about it now. It was absolutely awesome. I mean, the ANC is an incredible campaign machine – they are an incredible political party in that respect, but this was another order. This was a guy who’d learned from them and gone ‘nah, nah, nah, this is how it’s done’.”
*On the very next day (21 August) Malema and his EFF disrupted Parliament spectacularly, insisting that President Jacob Zuma ‘Pay Back the Money’ for Nkandla.
