Saturday 5 May 2012

Maile and Malema: two separate parts of the same multi-headed dragon by Malaika wa Azania

by Malaika Wa Azania on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 11:54am ·
There are two wars currently taking place in the country: the first is the war on the streets that is being fought by unemployed,financially excluded and angry youth.The second is the war in the corridors of power that is being fought by an elitist organisation,the ANCYL,between its president,Julius Malema and ANC Gauteng chairperson,Lebohang Maile,who is expected to run against Malema for the League's presidency at its National Conference this coming June.The war on the streets is a battle for survival while the war in the Kingdom of the Youth League is a battle for material wealth.

The ANCYL is an organisation characterised by hooliganism,political deformity and corruption that knows no boundries.It's more famous for throwing parties and making careless statements to the media,rather than for its contributions to the upliftment of the youth of SA.It is not surprising then,that the battle between Malema and Maile should become so nasty.

The president of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS),Bongani Mani,has declared that the organisation that he leads will be backing Maile at the conference.Strangely,this is the same COSAS that devotedly supported the election of Malema as ANCYL president in 2007.Floyd Shivambu,ANCYL spokesperson replied by saying that Maile would never be the ANCYL president,that " They must make him president of COSAS",an organisation that caters only for high school learners.Had he said SASCO,maybe it would be less degrading,considering that it caters for tertiary student and of all MDM structures,it's the one most progressive and politically sound.
This shows us the magnitude of the animosity between camp Malema and camp Maile.

MALEMA vs MAILE
While the war is interesting to watch,a question must be asked:"What is the significant difference between Julius Malema and Lebohang Maile?"
The obvious difference,ofcourse,is that Malema is a darling of the media and an uncompromising populist with a golden tongue,a man who sweeps his fanatical followers to a frenzy,where Maile is less of a performer.(This,however,is not to say that Maile is an intellectual).
Those in camp Malema say Malema is "better" because he was able to bring the issue of nationalisation in the agenda of the ruling party.
However,this is where it ends,as far as i'm concerned.

ANCYL vs WE,THE YOUTH OF S.A
For the youth of SA,it matters not who is elected to lead the ANCYL.Whether its Malema or Maile is irrelevant.They can even make it NYDA Chairperson,Andile Lungisa for all we care.The important factor is delivery and youth development through progressive programmes and projects.
But NONE of the above-mentioned will deliver,and i'll tell you why:

*JULIUS MALEMA
Malema has been leading the ANCYL since 2007.Since then,the most noteworthy thing he has done was to TALK about nationalisation which to him,extends only to taxing the rich and sharing their wealth.Malema fails to understand that politically,ground is not fertile to push for this policy,especially because those who'll be tasked with implementing it are shameless capitalists.
Malema has reigned in a period during which:
>Over 500 000 young people dropped out of school,for reasons raging from drug/alcohol abuse to lack of financial means.
>The rate of unemployment among youth has increased exponentially (from 34% in 2001 to 42% currently).Thousands of tertiary graduates are sitting at home without jobs.

As ANCYL president,Malema has failed lugubriously to influence the powers that be to impliment youth development programmes.Instead,he has joined the growing list of millionaire politicians that reside in leafy,affluent suburbs of Johannesburg north.

*LEBOHANG MAILE
The young man from the township of Alexandra is Gauteng's favourite candidate for next ANCYL president.Maile's track-record is not revolutionary either.
>Sports go hand in hand with recreation,and yet,there are areas in Gauteng that are lacking in recreational facilities,and no programmes have been implimented to alleviate this deficiency.
>As Gauteng MEC for sports,he hasn't done anything remarkable for the youth of SA's smallest province,to uplift sports or otherwise.

We as the youth must realise that the war between Malema and Maile is NOT ideological,but personal.None of them is saying that they will adopt and advance Socialism or indigenisation,so it will be a case of 1994,where the same regime is now led by a different master.

The ANCYL fights irrelevant battles against the likes of Helen Zille,Trevor Manuel,Jeremy Cronin,Barbara Hogan and all other unnecessary individuals and institutions.The wars that it must fight,such as unemployment,drug and alcohol abuse and all the issues affecting youth,it shamelessly ignores.

We need to mobilise towards a national youth front or we will continue to be pawns of hooligans masquerading as radicals.

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