If you are a Julius Malema fan read this book to make an informed decision about the politician

By Giyani Baloi

I first met Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu two days after the Marikana massacre on 16 August 2012, where they had gone to address the striking mine workers. It was a few days before I could complete my photojournalism studies.

The second time was on 3 September 2012 at Carletonville mine, where they had gone to again address the striking mine workers who were demanding R12500 minimum wage from their employers. This time around, I was a freelance photographer for The Star newspaper. It was my first day to go out on official duty deputising a senior photographer. I took a picture of Julius Malema, and it was used on the front page of The Star newspaper the following day. It felt so good.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say. Honest, fairness, and justice are very elusive the world over. I can attest to that. Not because I am a very honest person. I know a lot of people who are very skilled and work very hard and honestly, but struggle to make ends meet.

The riches of the world seem to be controlled by some cabals. It’s either drug lords, thieves, or countries that connive and loot from other countries, companies that collude and fix prices to the exclusions of others.

Here I am just giving a context on Micah Reddy & Pauli Van Wyk’s book, Malema. Money. Power. Patronage. However, I am not taking away the research and facts in the book. To have good ideas, whether business or politics, and developing the painstaking business discipline is a different ball game altogether. Because everything needs money. Reddy and Pauli laid bare Malema and company’s subterfuge in their book, Money. Power. Patronage.

How Malema rose to power in the ANC Youth league, how he fell out with the league’s mother body, the African National Congress (ANC), how Julius Malema joined a Lesiba Gwagwa to form On-point Engineering that was used as a conduit to channel money from tenders in Limpopo to his Ratanang Trust and all the corruption activities that almost bankrupted the province. The looting of VBS bank Venda and more.

Actually, the gullible masses are used as pawns to pressurize and sway tenders to Malema and his business cronies, then money gets into Julius Malema’s pocket indirectly. It’s a book I think every Julius Malema’s fan or supporter should read so that he can be able to weigh their options on whether it is worthy following or fighting for Julius Malema. After all he is known to dine with the kings. After all, no one is clean anyway.