Malema’s dangerous race politics

EFF LEADER Julius Malema’s politics of race is dangerous, inflammatory and has no place in the democratic South Africa that the majority of the citizens are working towards.

While addressing his supporters outside the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court following his brief appearance on charges of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act, Malema said he longs for the day when white South Africans serve black citizens.

Malema was quoted as saying “I dont want blacks to work for whites, I want you to work for yourselves, white people will work for you. That will be true freedom. You must teach them how to carry babies on their backs. They must feel what our parents have been feeling.”

Others might dismiss the former ANC Youth League president by arguing that politicians are known to get excited during election time.

However, his utterances give us a glimpse into his mind about the kind of South Africa Malema hopes to achieve.

It can be argued that Malema is advocating for politics of retribution where the victims of apartheid become the oppressors of minority groups.

Fortunately, that is not what the anti-apartheid figures such as Ruth First, Nelson Mandela and Yusuf Dadoo had in mind when they joined forces to wage a war against the brutal system.

While a radical land reform programme is vital to address inequality, that cannot be achieved through the reverse racism that Malema is advocating.

This is extremely dangerous politics at a time when the majority of poor people are showing signs of being fed up with the government’s failure to realise its 1994 promise of a better life for all.