South Africa's Julius Malema, who left the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to form a radical left party, could become kingmaker or even vice president if the ANC loses its majority, as election results suggest. The possibility that the ANC will keep Malema and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in power after Wednesday's election is scaring investors and the white upper middle class whom Malema rails against.
The EFF's promises to nationalize the country's gold and platinum mines and confiscate white farmers' land are among the proposals they fear would threaten not only their privileges but also Africa's most industrialized economy. Malema's pledge to address deep-rooted racial and economic disparities resonates with his supporters, including tens of thousands of unemployed and disenfranchised black urban youth, middle-class students struggling to pay school fees or graduates unable to find decent work in a stagnant economy. The ANC liberated black South Africans from white-minority rule, but the widespread prosperity it promised 30 years ago has yet to materialize. Meanwhile, the wealth share of the richest, both black and white, has grown.
A third of South Africans are unemployed, including many college-educated black voters. “The EFF is accurately pointing out that the race problem in this country is not solved,” said Stephen Freedman, director of the South African Centre for Democratic Studies.
But Malema added that the party had failed to broaden its support to rural people who suffer from extreme poverty. The EFF, whose trademark red shirts and berets evoke past socialist movements, won more than 10% of the vote in the 2019 national polls and in the 2021 provincial polls.
But Malema's wealth and lifestyle have drawn criticism from political opponents who mock his penchant for flashy cars, gold watches, champagne and mansions in leafy suburbs. He sold one mansion, which included a cinema and cigar lounge, to pay off $1 million in back taxes. He has also been accused of corruption, which he denies. In 2015 a court dismissed a money laundering charge related to government contracts. 'Sowing division'
At a rally in Senekal, in the agricultural Free State province, in late 2020, several dozen black supporters of Mr. Malema in red shirts faced off against a small group of white supremacists in apartheid-era military fatigues. Tensions were rising, but an EFF security guard called off one of the white opponents with a friendly gesture. When the exchange was over, each turned to his own side and made a calming gesture, defusing the mayhem.
“I am a Muslim, and I am a Muslim woman. I am a Muslim …
Mr Malema founded a separatist party after the ruling ANC expelled him from his youth leadership position in 2011 for “stoking division”. Supporters affectionately call him “Juju”, short for “Julius”, but his detractors prefer to call him a “firebrand”, “extremist”, “clown” and “populist”. But in a country where hostility towards immigrants from other African countries is a major populist issue, his is the only one that aims to repeal policies that impede the free movement of Africans.
“The EFF is going against the wind when it comes to immigration,” said Chris Ogunmodede, an analyst and editor at World Politics Review. “It's likely they'll lose a lot of votes they would have won.” Malema briefly dabbled in xenophobia in January 2022 when he announced he would visit restaurants to urge them not to hire too many foreigners, but he hasn't repeated such an act since.
(Additional reporting by Anaith Mirijanian; Editing by Ester Shirbon and Emilia Sithole Matarese)
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