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South Africa

Grinch of the Year: Julius Malema

Known for his red beret and red rage, the EFF leader loves a stage. Give him a podium, give him a mic, and who knows where next disaster will strike.
Grinch of the Year: Julius Malema

All we the people yearned for a pause,
From the Big Men of blah blah blah’s cause.
Jacob-the-Victim, shedding buckets of tears,
Filling his fire pool, yearning  for his Umshini Wami yesteryears

Cyril the faint-hearted, in a puzzling trance,
Millions of dollars found in his sofa by chance
But the joy-sucking Commissar takes the cake
With his fiery red beret, and his words of hate.

In February he began with a stunt,
Storming the stage at the Sona, wyd kant.
Desperate for relevance, he used red rage to show his rise as the King of Woke.
Sadly we saw it for what it was: an attention-seeking joke.

But Julius, undeterred by facts or reason,
Ordered a shutdown, a rebellious season.
March 20th it was, with a goal quite dramatic,
To oust President Ramaphosa, a plan erratic.
Yet, how embarrassing, when none joined his chorus,
His call for rebellion went unnoticed by us.

In May, with a claim, hysterically bold,
He predicted a grid collapse, a story untold.
And who to save us? Oh, the irony’s rich!
Molefe and Koko, both accused in a glitch.
Part of a scandal, a corruption case vast,
Yet Malema saw them as saviours, unsurpassed.

Come July, in a move of power and might,
Malema confirmed a decision, under the spotlight.
Two hundred and ten of his own, shown the door,
For failing in tasks, they were part of no more.
Yet he, in his glory, on a podium raised,
Confetti around, as if he should be praised.
A messiah, a saviour, in his own fancied dream,
But to the onlookers, it was a cringe-worthy scene.

Attacking judges, threatening peers in his party,
Praising a tycoon, his actions not hearty.
But the grinchiest moment, oh, it takes the cake,
Was his call against the Springboks, a shocking mistake.
Claiming they stood for supremacy, white and stark,
His words, not just harsh, but missing the mark.

So here stands Malema, in this tale quite real,
A tin-pot tyrant, with a grinch-like appeal.
A cheer-sucker, a limelight seeker, in actions and voice,
In a world needing unity, he made a divisive choice.

Thus ends our story, in Seussian rhyme,
Of Julius Malema, in 2023’s time.
A character, complex, in South Africa’s vast play,
A reminder of choices we all make each day. DM

By Heretic, with a little help from an AI bot who says she’s resigning from rhyme after this foray into human madness of the South African kind.


This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.


DM168 front page


Comments (5)

lesley.young1945 Dec 31, 2023, 11:38 AM

I am planning to launch a new party called “The Real EFF” (Equality For February”. Why do January and March each have 31 days and February only 28?? (Shut up leapyearists). January and March must each give a day to February so all three have 30 days. Equality at last.

Alexalexander7646@gmail.com Dec 26, 2023, 10:51 AM

It is sad to notice that none could see the humour and acknowledge the excellent creative writing of the article. Me think that South Africans in general are far too serious to enjoy the humorous side of life in our beautiful country and prefer to view everything with suspicion and negativity. With the dawn of the New Year only a few sleeps away, I really hope that positivity and enjoying of our country will be top of the list of new years' resolution for the commentators to this article. The alternative of course is to go outside. greet your neighbours in a joyful way and get a huge shot of the Happy Vitamin D, that only the Sun can provide of which our beautiful country have plenty of, and it is FREE as well. As Wayne Dyer said, ''IF YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS, THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE'' Try it, it works all the time. All the best for the Festive Season and a Happy New Year to all.

Con Tester Dec 26, 2023, 10:54 PM

With the exception of you, of course.

kglebza69@gmail.com Dec 26, 2023, 02:31 AM

This is exactly why I’m going to vote for EFF in 2024?thanks for informing me once more of how desperate daily maverick is that they would even write an entire article about Julius on Christmas Eve?how sad. This one is for Pauli Van Wyk: The EFF is going to make your chest pains worse, you failed time and time again in VBS and even refused to show up to the EFF VBS interrogation. You know that 2024 is out 1994, Vote EFF 2024❤️??

Con Tester Dec 26, 2023, 10:51 PM

By all indications, the author of this glee-laden splurge of obtuseness and immaturity is representative of the average EFF voter. Pope Julius is ecstatic to have such pliable toadies.

Johan Buys Dec 25, 2023, 07:47 PM

Please stop giving this fool publicity

William Dryden Dec 25, 2023, 09:45 AM

Malema should not wear overalls of any colour as he couldn't even make a good gardener, he is an oxygen thief.