Leaders, follow Malcom X’s example and shouldn’t be driven by money

This day, February 21 2019 marks the 54th anniversary of the assassination of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, otherwise known as Malcolm X, the founder and the first leader of the Organisation of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Just like Robert Sobukwe’s Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, the OAAU was Pan African in origin and both leaders believed in obtaining, from the colonial masters, freedom and independence by any means necessary. Malcolm X thought very highly of Robert Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela, he was right to think so of the former but he was quite unaware of the latter’s shenanigans, had he lived longer he would have denounced Mandela and simply call him an Uncle Tom. Malcolm was a great man who could not be bought by powers that were during his day, the Arabs and certain powerful groups within Islam desperately needed him on their side. There were serious attempts to persuade Malcolm to turn on Elijah Muhammad of the Lost and Found Nation of Islam and establish a second Islamic group based on what they considered Orthodox Islam. Much is written on the life and times of this great Afro-American leader, but less about who assassinated him. One writer says Malcolm was about to try a different way of catching American government’s attention by arming his people and starting a revolution. It is said that he was assassinated because he wanted to charge the American government with crimes against humanity.

Dr John Henrik Clarke writes that “when he internationalised the problem, by raising it from the level of civil rights to that of human rights and by linking up with Africa, Malcolm X threw himself into the cross fire of that invisible, international cartel of power and finance which deposes presidents and prime ministers, dissolves parliaments, if they refuse to do their bidding...”

It is this power that poisoned to death Robert Sobukwe, Zephaniah Mothopeng and could it also be that this same power that poisoned to death, Anthon Lembede? Malcolm X trusted the United Nations (UN) with his life, thought somehow they were different and wanted to lay charges against America government with them. The UN betrayed him on February 21 1965. Malcolm was assassinated by the CIA, CFR, FBI with UN’s blessings. Malcolm X was our man, one of the few great leaders our race ever produced. He repeatedly warned African leaders not to escape from European colonialism only to become even more enslaved by deceitful, friendly American dollarism. Judging by the state of politics in the continent with heads of state such Cyril Ramaphosa, he’s advice did sure fall on deaf ears.

Tebogo Brown, Witpoortjie