POLITICS LIVE: Good. Malema has discovered the dangers of populism
It's simple, really. You need to choose your causes as carefully as you choose your friends
The political moment was fascinating. The EFF's Julius Malema, who some time ago argued that Absa should be "occupied" so that it repaid its "apartheid debt", found himself on the same side of the fence as the Guptas. That is, if you share the growing view that they are behind the all-out assault on the bank, which has seen the public protector rush out an "interim report" which recommends the bank pay back R2.5-billion to the state. Here are Malema's tortured words as reported on the Business Day site as he tries to remain true to his previous views while distancing himself from those who now share them in public: "The Absa nonsense is not legit and I will not be told by opposition of the EFF on how to act. "We will hold Absa accountable through our own terms and at our own time…. The people calling for the occupation of Absa to ‘pay back the money’ [are] on the Gupta payroll." Back then, in a flourish of populist rhetoric, Malema had said: "We targeted Absa because it is the amal...
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