I had the uncomfortable distinction of being picked on a number of times by EFF leader Julius Malema at the party’s inaugural 2018 media conference the other day. Apparently I have written off the EFF as irrelevant and I’m also incoming president Cyril Ramaphosa’s imbongi — what Jimmy Manyi is to the Gupta family or outgoing President Jacob Zuma. Very funny. But sticks and stones, as they say… And just to set the record straight, I can’t remember writing recently that the EFF is irrelevant. It isn’t something I believe. Julius must have me confused with someone else. But, yes, I ardently supported Ramaphosa in the race for the ANC leadership with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, which I’m pretty certain puts me with the vast majority of my fellow citizens. However, I have not spoken to Ramaphosa for many years. Our last conversation of any consequence was around 2006. As the ANC conference at Mangaung approached I was still editor of this newspaper and tried hard to organise an interview wit...