RANJENI MUNUSAMY: So, I finally found out why Julius Malema is cross with me
'I forgot to ask Malema on Friday how the media would operate if he is elected president next year. I must remember to do so at his next media briefing'
EXTRACT
It was bizarre that an innocuous discussion with Mpofu was weaponised, so I tried to establish from Malema the exact nature of his grievance. For weeks, I had been accused of being part of a mob protecting Indian racists, so I was also mystified as to how this had suddenly become about Ramaphosa. On Friday, Malema called me to discuss the matter. It appears he had no objection to any of my articles, but was angry about journalists' tweets. He said we mock and "subtweet" the EFF leadership.
Malema also said that while we were not critical of Ramaphosa, we had taken the EFF to task for, among other things, its position on the commission of inquiry into SARS.
Ahmed Kathrada's memorial service at the Johannesburg City Hall on April 1 2017 was thick with emotion and segued into a 1980s-style activist rally. Pravin Gordhan, who together with his then deputy Mcebisi Jonas had packed up their desks at the National Treasury the day before, was the main speaker. He gave a rousing address, telling the crowd: "I am unashamedly encouraging mass mobilisation."It was a tumultuous week, climaxing in a midnight cabinet reshuffle that was the tipping point in the Jacob Zuma presidency. Opposition political leaders began planning a motion of no confidence to remove Zuma from office. There was, finally, alarm in the ANC about state capture, with three of the then top six leaders speaking out against Zuma's decision to fire Gordhan and Jonas. Some ANC and alliance leaders began talks, drawing in the EFF's Floyd Shivambu, on how Zuma could be removed. They needed to agree on a candidate acceptable to all parties who could step into Zuma's position. At the ...
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