South Africa on the Zimbabwe route if Julius Malema has his way

By Marimuthu Subramoney
(aka Subry Govender)


At a time when South Africans were observing the 35th anniversary of the June 16 uprisings by the youth of Soweto, the country was awash with the political rhetoric emanating from the ANC Youth League conference in Johannesburg.
The ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema, who was re-elected president of the League, and some of his fellow leaders gave the impression that they were not the followers of the Oliver Tambos, Walter Sisulus and the Nelson Mandelas but instead the followers of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
One of the women leaders set the tone for a "Mugabe" atmosphere when she shouted: "Viva Julius Malema, Viva", "Viva the ANC, Viva", "Viva nationalisation of mines, Viva", "Viva land confiscation, Viva", "Viva transfer of economic power,Viva" and "Viva Africa for Africans, Viva".
Then came the saviour of the "black majority", Julius Malema, when he also followed the "Mugabe" line in his address by demanding that the Government must take radical steps to transfer the economy from the white minority to the black majority.
He made his demands in the presence of President Jacob Zuma.
After the woman leader and Malema captured the attention of the delegates, the conference, on the final day on Sunday, adopted Malema's demands without any dissension. These include:
* The expropriation of land from white farmers without compensation;
* The nationalisation of the country's mines;
* The nationalisation of banks; and
* The radical transfer of the economy into the hands of the black majority.
There's nothing wrong in a non-racial and democratic society like ours that role players have their say about the manner in which they would like the country to transform.
But what's of concern is that some of the actions and the talk at the Youth conference poses a direct challenge to the non-racial and democratic principles and ideals that many people had fought and died for. The demands about nationalisation and the confiscation of land without compensation are also worrying when one takes into account what has happened to the economy of Zimbabwe after Mugabe chased out the farmers and grabbed control of the economy.
Does Malema and his bunch of cronies want South Africa to descend and deteriorate to that level as well?
Nationalisation has not worked in any country in the world and it will not work in South Africa as well.
For example, immediately after India gained its independence in 1947, the new leaders, including the first Prime Minister Jahawarlall Nehru, introduced a number of nationalisation measures in an attempt at what they saw as a panacea to overcome the poverty of the teeming masses.
Some of the measures included a number of state-run factories and hotels. After some time these institutions deteriorated to such an extent that the Government had to re-think its policies and instead promote the privatisation of state institutions and a free economy. It was because of these measures over the past 20 years that India has grown today to become one of the world's biggest industrial and economic powers.
In our instance, it's become a matter of urgency that President Zuma and other leaders must take Malema and the other "youth league" bright sparks by the scruff of their collars and make it clear that we cannot repeat the mistakes of countries that adopted "nationalisation" policies. They must also inform Malema and his "loud mouths" that South Africa belongs "to all who live in it" and that no one should be made to feel that they are not part of the non-racial society.
Malema's diatribe will only serve to drive out millions more out of the country and prevent foreign nationals from investing in our country. We need foreign investors for the creation of much-needed jobs, to fight poverty and to promote the well-being of all South Africans.
Already many South Africans are having doubts about the future of our country if the types of Malema and his fellow "leaders" have their way. They say that in 10 to 15 years South Africa will be reduced to another "Zimbabwe" if the likes of Malema are not wrapped around the knuckles by President Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, and other leaders.
Most people want to know why is Malema not being stopped in his tracks? They believe that Malema and the other "motor mouth" youth leaders will disappear into the sunset if they are told in no uncertain terms to mind their words and watch their steps.
One of those who has spoken out is veteran ANC leader, Ben Turok, who has warned that Malema's "demagogy" is a threat to the "non-racial" principles of the ANC.
Said Turok: "This demagogy constitutes the greatest threat, not just to our electoral performance, but also to our hard-won democratic achievements as a country in general. On top of these tendencies come the crude references to race by a few senior personalities in the movement and government. These tend to reinforce the perception that we are moving away from an African majority non-racial society towards a Black Republic."
- Subry Govender, Chief Editor