Malala on current affairs
SANDTON – Award-winning journalist and presenter, Justice Malala addressed members of the media and the public on relevant, topical South African issues.
Justice Malala, an award-winning journalist and presenter of the Justice Factor, an eNCA interview and news show, delivered a speech at Investec in Sandton to the media and members of the public.
He tackled topical issues in the political, economic and social environment of South Africa and used quotes and cartoons to add satire and wit to his presentation. He chose specifically to focus on the 2016 elections and the news that had surrounded this event.
He expressed great concern when explaining the ongoing Hawks investigation into the alleged unlawful activities of finance minister, Pravin Gordhan. To his mind, these allegations are incorrect and misguided. “Institutions [such as the Hawks] are important and our children need to be able to use them in 10 years,” he said.
In terms of the topical 2016 elections, he said many eligible voters chose not to vote this year. “The truth is that three million ANC voters stayed at home and did not vote. The key to the next elections lies in these three million people.”
The issue of coalitions being formed between numerous opposition parties has been widely discussed and debated. Malala stressed, “Nothing has been signed between the DA and the EFF… The DA are only hoping that the EFF will always support them.”
He hypothesised that Jacob Zuma would stay in power until the ANC Lekgotla in December next year. “There are talks that this conference is to be moved forward, but as a result of the ANC’s R1-billion election campaign, they do not have the necessary funds for this… These conferences are costly.”
He highlighted that racism was going to be at the forefront of many future conversations. “Race and racism will be a big trend over the next few years… It’s a conversation to be had and young people will force us to have these conversations.”
In terms of the social issues that South Africans face, he discussed the burning of buses, protests and unnecessary deaths. He believes these incidents of violence are politically linked and that political parties cannot lose touch with their people.
“When we talk about people that do not even have shoes… this is the real problem in our country… we need to deal with the 8.9 million people who are unemployed.”
Malala also predicted that land disputes and land claims would take centre stage in the near future.
