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Julius Malema

Obi Egbuna Jnr Simunye
During his address to the people of Guinea on the one year anniversary of independence, the Pan African giant and first President of Guinea Ahmed Seku Ture correctly stated, “The moral personality of Africa, long denied through the medium of the most fantastic interpretations and grossest historical falsifications, barely precedes the growing manifestation of the African personality which the forces of conquest and domination can no longer reduce with impunity.”

The wisdom of this analytical framework could very well exceed the comprehension of opportunists among our ranks, who have unfortunately arrived at the conclusion that political showboating and a lack of consistency is a substitute for allegiance to our revolutionary principles and conviction.

When the Commander-in-Chief of the African National Congress splinter group EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) Julius Malema recently decided to tweet his support for the reactionary and neocolonialist demonstrations in Zimbabwe, he answered all questions and speculations throughout the African world concerning not only where he stands on the question of Zimbabwe but on the African revolution as a whole.

The shift by Mr Malema concerning Zimbabwe began with an ignorant and naïve comment about Zimbabwe’s Look East Policy in which he said; “Everything beautiful in Zimbabwe is Chinese owned”. This is the type of pseudo-intellectual political commentary one would expect from the South African comedian Trevor Noah, not from a politician who has used photo-ops with President Mugabe and zanu-pf to build and enhance his profile.

When the history of Southern Africa is written from beginning to end it will be proven without question that Mr Malema’s decision to visit Zimbabwe when he was the leader of the African National Congress Youth League, and openly identify with President Mugabe and the Third Chimurenga, did more to lend him credibility than any programme of action he has ever been involved in directly, whether during his tenure in ANC or since the existence or the glorified splinter group he takes such pride in spearheading today.

Before Mr Malema decided to diminish the value of Zimbabwe’s Look East Policy, and deciding to echo the sentiments of opportunist and reactionary members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are still lobbying for AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) which is the brainchild of the deceitful white liberal and former US President William Jefferson Clinton, it would better Africa as a whole if he explained why he considers Zionists like Joe Slovo, Ruth First, Denis Goldberg, and Albie Sachs heroic because they played an important role in the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexists democratic prosperous South Africa.

It would have benefited Mr Malema intellectually if he did some homework and discovered back in 2007 a young ambitious Jnr Senator named Barack Obama was all but taken by the hand by a Zionist US Congressman named Tom Lantos whose claim to fame was having the distinction of being the only Nazi holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, to begin to work for the demise of President Mugabe and zanu-pf because of their unconditional support for Palestine.

Since Mr Malema’s affinity for the camera and spotlight resembles how plants depend on water, air, nutrients and sunlight for growth, he should strongly consider taking the ranking file of his splinter group and going to the Israeli embassy in South Africa and demand reparations and a public apology for the role they played in maintaining apartheid in South Africa.

If Mr Malema was born in Zimbabwe he would be considered a member of the Born Free generation, a label giving to all Zimbabweans who came into the world after April 18, 1980. One of President Mugabe and zanu-pf greatest strength and attributes is their willingness to give their youth the chance to demonstrate their loyalty to their people and nation, until they prove the work load is too challenging and overwhelming for them to handle.

William Mutumanje

When former zanu-pf youth leader Acie Lumumba (Gerald William Mutumanje)decided recently to publicly insult President Mugabe by using unnecessary profanity, he was attempting to upstage Mr Malema whose political celebrity is a by-product of attempting to upstage the former and current South African President Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, which if the truth be told, consumed more of Mr Malema’s time and energy than anything concrete and practical he has ever produced his entire political career to date.

What President Mugabe and zanu-pf and the most politically mature Zimbabweans clearly understand is the many dimensions of Mother Africa’s neo-colonialist paradigm, and the climate of confusion it continues to create, while political young bucks like Mr Malema and Mr Lumumba represent a new experiment in the same laboratory that produced the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti with different chemicals and concoctions.

For Mr Lumumba whose introduction to the international community was an ill-advised shopping spree in New York City, which he decided was more exciting than attending UN meeting sessions, that he accompanied the delegation to cover back in 2014. Since Mr Malema and Mr Lumumba take pride in their appearance and wardrobe, similar to how neo-colonialist forefathers like Felix Houphouet-Boigny and Mobutu Sese Seko did in their heyday, we can hire them as fashion consultants, nothing more, nothing less.

The main point concerning this matter is not the clownish exchange Mr Lumumba decided to have on Facebook with Zimbabweans representing all sides of the ideological spectrum, who all agreed this was very embarrassing to the delegation, but how Mr Malema and Mr Lumumba have used our bravest heroes past and present for political gain.

At this historical moment both on our Mother continent and in the Diaspora, we are witnessing a Pan-Africanist costume ball, theoretically speaking, which allows politicians and organisers like Mr Malema and Mr Lumumba to impersonate our most decorated and beloved freedom fighters.

When we examine this dynamic, these young and ambitious children of ours feel it is more convenient to emulate freedom fighters, who have different geographical birthplaces, mainly because they bank on the demographic they are targeting to have limited knowledge of their history and pedigree.

For Mr Lumumba is well aware that Zimbabweans know that his name is William Mutumanje and that naming himself after the immortal Congolese freedom fighter and martyr Patrice Emory Lumumba, might rock Africans in the Diaspora to sleep thinking he is a young warrior ready to assume the mantle. What other reason would Mr Lumumba have to keep repeating his adopted last name before he insulted President Mugabe at his Press conference? While Mutumanje is too African a name it would not have the same residual effect as Lumumba.

On the other side of the Limpopo Mr Malema and his splinter group have been paying lip service to the fallen hero and revolutionary figure Thomas Sankara, first President of Burkina Faso, who was known not only for his innovative programmes like building schools, railroads and vaccination in conjunction with Cuba, but living extremely modestly to set the tone for a socialist revolution in Africa.

At the time of his death Comrade Sankara, who earned as President a modesty $450 monthly pay, left behind a motorcycle, bicycle, a broken refrigerator and a guitar, which would certainly cramp Mr Malema’s style to say the least. Not even his white liberal friend Ambassador and Lord Robin Renwick who Mr Malema visited during his trip to Britain, would advise him to make such a drastic change. We may discover down the line it is this gentleman Renwick who worked in the Rhodesian Department on the Foreign Commonwealth office and was Ambassador to South Africa from 1987 to 1991 and the US from 1991 to 1995, who may have singlehandedly convinced Mr Malema to distance himself from President Mugabe and zanu-pf.

When Thomas Sankara came to Zimbabwe a year before his death for the Non-Aligned Summit, he decided to visit Beitbridge in order to have a close look at South Africa, only hoping to be alive when they attained their independence. What Mr Malema and his splinter group should understand is that while imitation is the highest form of flattery, it is as embarrassing as hell when you don’t pull it off.

President Mugabe and zanu-pf have taught us by example that those who embrace your vision aren’t necessarily committed to the path.

Obi Egbuna Jnr is the US Correspondent to The Herald and External Relations Officer to ZICUFA(Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association). His email is [email protected]