Julius Malema
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| “ | We are not calling for the slaughter of white people‚ at least for now. | „ |
| ~ Julius Malema |
Julius Sello Malema (born March 3, 1981) is a South African politician and leader of the far-left political party Economic Freedom Fighters, which he founded in 2013. Previously, he had been President of the African National Congress Younth League from 2008 to 2012, the year in which he would be expelled from the ANC. He is quite a prominent figure in South African politics, and a personal friend of former President Jacob Zuma.
Malema is well known for his xenophobic comments against Afrikaners (the white minority in South Africa), being a strong defender of the idea of expropriating the farms of the country's white farmers without compensation, and has incited many of his supporters to commit acts of violence against whites. He has also been involved in corruption cases.
Biography edit
Malema was born on March 3, 1981 in Seshego, in the Transvaal Province, the son of a single mother who worked as a domestic servant. At the age of 9 or 10 he would meet the African National Congress (ANC), and as a young man he would dedicate himself to removing propaganda posters from the National Party. Malema graduate from Mohlakaneng High School.
In 1990, he formally joined the African National Congress, and later became chairman of the Youth League branch in Seshego and regional chairman in 1995. In 1997 he became chairman of the Congress of South African Students in Limpopo province, and was elected as national president of that organisation in 2001.
In 2008, Malema was elected as president of the Youth League of the African National Congress, in an election that was accused of fraud and intimidation. Malema would be re-elected without opposition for a second term in 2011.
In 2012, Malema would be expelled from the ANC after a disciplinary review due to multiple controversies and comments from Malema. In 2013, Malema founded his own political party called Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left party with a communist and black supremacist leaning.
Currently, the EFF is the third largest political party in the country, with 44 members in the National Assembly, and Malema is one of the most influential politicians today, to the point where some consider him a possible candidate to convert in president.
Villany edit
Julius Malema is quite a controversial politician in South Africa. He is known for his extremist and xenophobic views, blaming Afrikaners for most of South Africa's problems, and is often seen as a danger to peace in South Africa. Malema has commonly expressed his desire to carry out a major agrarian reform in which all Afrikaner farmers' farms are expropriated without receiving financial compensation. Malema is also known for inciting his supporters to attack and assault Afrikaners, which has resulted in many Afrikaner farms being raided by Malema supporters.
In 2010, he was sentenced for hate speech, which would happen again in 2011 for his participation in generating internal divisions in the ANC, which would result in a 5-year suspension from the ANC (which would later lead to his expulsion). He also received much criticism after he sang the song "Dubul 'ibhunu" ("Shoot the Boer").
In 2010, Malema visited Zimbabwe, where he criticized student movements as "violent" and supported the authoritarian government of Robert Mugabe. During his visit to Zimbabwe, Malema would be interviewed by BBC journalist Jonah Fisher, where Malema would criticize the Movement for Democratic Change having offices in the luxurious Sandton district, and when Fisher told him that Malema himself lived in Sandton, Malema would rant against Fisher.
Malema has also been involved in acts of corruption. In 2012, he was charged with money laundering, in connection with lucrative government contracts awarded to him in Limpopo, allegedly in exchange for 4 million rand in bribes. He was also charged with tax evasion.