The silencing of Malema
Nov. 10th, 2011 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterSouth African ruling party suspends youth leader Malema
Julius Malema, the outspoken and charismatic leader of the African National Congress' youth wing, was suspended from the party for five years for disgracing the organization and sowing disunity with his criticism of South African President Jacob Zuma.
Malema, whom Zuma once said was future presidential material, was seen as the front man for a group plotting to oust the president as the ruling party's leader at a conference next year.
The unexpectedly tough penalty, which increases Zuma's chances of getting a second term as the nation's president, came after a debilitating power struggle that disrupted the party for months. But some analysts expect the conflict to drag on as Zuma's opponents seek to use Malema's punishment to whip up a backlash.
New Malemas will come
It would be a mistake to see the suspension of ANC Youth League president Julius Malema as the end of political radicalism, the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Thursday.
"Inevitably, if the country is not able to sustain significantly higher levels of economic growth, new Malemas will come to the fore either inside or outside the ANC," spokesperson Catherine Schulze said.
"A country with South Africa's inequalities will always be a breeding ground for political radicalism."
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Date: 2011-11-11 08:09 am (UTC)