Malema; A new Mandela or a new Mugabe?
| 11:44 UK time, Tuesday, 25 May 2010
His humble origins make him a liberator for poor, black South Africans. His fiery mouth make him feared by some and a nightmare for many others, black and white. Whichever way you look at it, Julius Malema has become one of South Africa's most controversial and influential political figures.
In a recent BBC interview, Malema has defended his behaviour after being disciplined by the ANC over a series of outbursts about race, Zimbabwe and President Jacob Zuma. You can here the interview here.
"I am fighting for the emancipation of blacks and Africans in particular, politically, socially and economically," he said. "There are racial divisions in this country and the economy continues to grow but the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to grow. It's racialised."
His praise for Zimbabwe's land redistribution policy and Mugabe's 'guts to stand against the wishes of the West' are widely known. According to the Zim Daily, when Malema 'grows up', he wants to be just like Robert Mugabe.
For many however, Malema is simply seeing through the unfulfilled promises of the Mandela era.
Is this just the beginning of Malema's political career? Or is he working on borrowed political time?
