Press Release
15/10/2012
Open Letter to Mr. Julius Malema:
Dear Mr. Julius Malema
Mr. Malema, your (African National Congress Youth League and Friends of the Youth League) call for us, the younger generation and Black African Youth in particular; to be economic freedom fighters is on point. Your reminder to us that the Pan-African goal to be fully liberated from imperialist control is not complete is also on point.
Many of us also agree that South Africa economically is still largely in the hands of Europeans, or people originating from there, and their descendents, and to some extent Asians. Furthermore, it is undisputed that the African National Congress has not fully used its political power, or is demonstrating political will to urgently redress the need to restructure economic power, and policies to favor their primary constituency: Indigenous Africans.
However, there are problems and challenges in your approach (both content and method), which needs to be clarified and rectified.
The person Julius Malema is Compromised:
While the struggle is clear, you would agree that you are compromised personally, politically, and business wise. Firstly, you have demonstrated Character Complexity; whereby you are characterized to be a bully, disrespectful, dishonest, unfair, and all negative personal trends. Of cause your loyalist speaks of you as good hearted, a hero, and my experience with you is not bad either. However you are personally compromised. Perhaps psychologist might diagnose you with multi personality syndrome.
Secondly, many people have a problem with your expulsion from ANC, your untimely proclamation, and untactful insistence of nationalization, your bias support for dictators, your merciless and irrational attacks on your opponents, your tribalistic, and racialist comments, and your lack of an ear to the political elders, all these perceptions have definitely compromised you politically.
Thirdly, the allegations by FOLE and other business people that you are a “king pin” in the circle of Limpopo government tender, the unexplainable millions donated to the Ratanang Trust Fund, the deals which your business got extremely fast in a short time, and some without completing other jobs, your lavish lifestyle which did not march your personal income, charges of money laundering, and corruption findings of On Point by NPA, have compromised you as a legit entrepreneur.
Julius Malema’s Strategies Contested:
Your raw and blatant talks on radical policy shift, your demand of land from whites without compensation, your call for nationalization of mines, are all contested as illogical, and unpractical. It is said ANC’s economic position is mixed economy, and it can not shift radically towards single handed socialistic policy, when its main economic operation is based on principles of South African constitution as capitalistic system. Furthermore both the constitution of RSA and ANC, embrace non-racism, social cohesion, and equal opportunity but your strategy are said to be divisive, racialised, and investor unfriendly.
Some groups contest that government is unable to run current public enterprises, most departments are poorly administrated with little progress, giving examples of schools, prisons, clinics and municipalities which mostly are being reported to be in tutus. You are challenged that how can you then expect to run a very complex organization such as mines, and other industries?
Your ambitions are dismissed, with contestation that, South Africa, unlike other African countries, its liberation is a negotiated revolution, ANC’s African Nationalism was not about chasing or disempowering whites, but that of equal enfranchisement, the additional problem is that of black bourgeoisies.
Julius Malema’ the Mobilize as a Hope for Economic Breakthrough:
Many of us are therefore not convinced that you are the one to lead this struggle for economic freedom, perhaps if you repent and go through personal transformation this view might be legitimately challenged. However, I am of the view that your efforts and bravery deserves acknowledgment. For now you are still needed in the fore front, to continue with the "noise"/mobilization, it is a good tactic, but this must be urgently accompanied by a more concrete strategy.
I then suggest to you Mr Malema, younger generation, particularly Black African young people born after 1976 to have an Economic Freedom Convention, to thoroughly re-look, and come up with intelligent, practical, and strategic program of action of economic freedom to be pursued by our generation. I am in no way suggesting that the ANCYL has not done good work in its documents of Economic Freedom in our life time/Nationalization document. However, I am unambiguously saying we need an alternative approach towards initiating and attaining economic freedom which must be inclusive to all younger generation of South Africa.
While I humbly ask you Mr. Malema in helping to set up or pilot this initiative, you need not to be its leader. For two major reasons, it will not be regarded soberly, and it has a chance to be rejected with dual motives of political and racial.
The request for your need to help and be part of this initiative is also dual. Firstly you are a media capital, and secondly, you can mobilise funds quicker. In addition you are already on fire and the convention should inherit your fire for realizing economic freedom in our lifetime. I therefore, request a meeting with you personally to present my proposal of an Economic Freedom Convention/Forum in detail.
Reece Phatudi: writing as a fellow Young Native African, as aspiring to economic freedom in our life time.
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