Does Malema belong to the ANC? The ANC is not ideologically pure. It would be dishonest to suggest so. Any way as a multi-class organization it is bound never to be. Any national liberation movement worth its salt has a responsibility to attract the broadest sections of the oppressed in order to succeed in its struggle. In order to ensure unity within its ranks whilst maintaining its broad appeal, it has a responsibility to set out an all inclusive, less stringent ideological perspective whilst at the same time allowing enough space for various ideological standpoints to contest for hegemony within.
However, although tolerant to divergent ideological standpoints within its ranks it has a responsibility to draw the line, or set broad parameters about its ideological standing. That’s exactly what the ANC did in relation to African chauvinism, or what in a more sophisticated sense is termed Pan-Africanism. This does not mean our movement believes Pan-Africanists are counter-revolutionary, it just believes that they are not as progressive as it would prefer. Contrary to the ANC, comrade Malema is not a progressive nationalist, something to which the ANC has evolved to base its Africanism; in contrast he is a Pan-Africanist. The primacy of his ideas is Pan-Africanist rather than Progressive Nationalist. His ideas resonate well with those of other Pan-Africanist youth organizations in the continent which have openly declared support for him such as Zanu-PF and the liberation movement of Tanzania Chama cha Mapinduzi. This is in contrast to the silent treatment he has received from our traditional allies such as Frelimo of Mozambique and the MPLA of Angola. In him, Pan-Africanists in the continent saw themselves. His Pan-Africanism is also the reason why the term “African Child” has found new popularity since he became President of the ANCYL. Before him, by the way, this term did not belong to the vocabulary of the Congress Movement but to that of the Pan-Africanists such as the PAC, AZAPO and other similar movements. Another term barely used in the movement popularized by Malema is the word “settler”, a word Julius brought us from the Pan-Africanist dictionary. The Congress Movement barely used this term, even in our songs, or chants. The closest an ANC member got to this would be through the use of the word Boer. Note, even the most controversial chant done in the movement “kill the Boer: the farmer”, still does not contain the word “settler”. “One settler, one bullet” was not a slogan of the ANC but that of the PAC, and our cadres were not cultured to speak in this way, hence we could not chant in this way. The fact that he is Pan-Africanist, does not suggest that comrade Malema’s ideas are not left leaning, or less radical, in actual fact, he is a bloody radical one. His Pan-Africanism, is what I believe drives his radicalism, despite the fact that his location in class society should have driven him otherwise. It is not in spite of his Pan-Africanism but because of it that he is so radical. Although stinking rich, he being an “African Child” cannot bear to see the impoverishment of another “African Child” particularly while he, the rich one, is surrounded by “white settlers” in rich society. This is completely painful for the “African child”. The fact that comrade Malema, was born from an African working class family strengthens this point of view, particularly his idea that the enemy is not the capitalist per se, which he himself is, but the “white capitalist”. His infatuation with “white" monopoly capital does not stem only from the ANC’s characterization of monopoly capital as a threat to development but arises from his own realization that it is the face of white opulence. The fact that monopoly capital to him, has a color is one other interesting fact. Of course, I am not denying that Monopoly capital is largely white, but the fact that in Malema’s eyes it seems not all Monopoly Capital is an enemy of the revolution but only assumes that role because its white. Even on the question of conspicuous consumption. Comrade Malema often retorts whether it should only be white youth that should dress in a particular way or not? He makes this point at every turn: even lamenting that rich “white” boys drive expensive cars in Sandton and nobody complains. By the way, Pan-Africanism is not just radical but also uncompromising. Comrade Malema is cut from the same cloth. My view though is that, its South African version is unscientific. It will never be able to resolve the race question in South Africa but would exacerbate it. Of course, when the struggle for liberation is still in its infancy, Pan-Africanism or Black Consciousness is necessary to uplift the self-worth of the oppressed and rouse them to stand up against their oppression. But it usually can go no further. Comrade Julius Malema should not have joined the ANC in the first place. He does not belong there and he does not share its ideas. Of course, for numerical purposes we must be thankful that he chose to join the ANC rather than the PAC or AZAPO. He must be more thankful that his Pan-Africanist tendencies were not discovered early on before he could rise up the organizational ladder. For this, he must thank our now pathetic recruitment system which holds that anyone with a membership form and fee is almost a member. Surely, I am not suggesting that our movement should not have looked to the Africanists to recruit. Anyway, the brightest in the liberation movement are often located in these organizations, but it is an indictment on our movement that it has not been able to win comrade Julius Malema over to its viewpoint since it recruited him at the age of 9 as he would have us believe. When an organization arrives at this realization it has no choice but to let go of its recruitee, but this has to be a political function rather than a Disciplinary one. -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. 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