Urgent Messages from the Graves of Past Revolutionaries to Julius Malema

Excuse me Your Honor,

It's me again, your formerly loyal servant. Hallo... Are you there? I can't hear you properly these days. You sound squeaky like a broken record, or more like a desperate and dying horse. Anyways, as always, please accept my apologies for blowing your cover once more by writing to you this rather unusual letter. But I have to, because I have messages for you from the grave, you know, from the graves of our past revolutionaries. They have insisted that I pass them on to you. I had no choice but to obey. You know what those guys from the other world can do if you upset them. So, here goes.

I got a phone call from the grave of one of our most respected revolutionaries, President General O.R Tambo. He told me to tell you that you need to STOP invoking the names of past revolutionaries of his movement in order to pursue a cynical and opportunistic agenda to which they were directly opposed, thus discrediting them and the good name of their movement, the ANC. In his vintage counseling style, he told me to advise you to refrain from dividing their movement by your selective and opportunistic support of President Zuma at the expense of his collective leadership.

O.R insisted I tell you that comrade JZ is the president for all of us in the ANC and that of the country. The people, not you, put him there as president. So he is accountable to them, not you. He does not owe you anything. O.R further warned of the dangerous consequences as a result of an attempt by you and your clique to insulate president Zuma from ANC leadership collective so that you can form a childish cabal of anarchists around him, in order to intimidate and terrorize political opponents. This, he cautioned, may lead the country to warlords and vicious militias as we have seen it in many parts of the African Continent.

I also got a call from the grave of that fearless leader and combatant of our revolution, comrade Chris Hani. In his no-nonsense style, he told me to tell you that your revolutionary sounding slogans and songs have nothing to do with the revolution. He said he has noted that you have conspicuously elevated and represented the interests of the bourgeoisie class as if those of the oppressed and exploited classes of our country. He said I must tell you to stop using his name whilst insulting leaders of his South African Communist Party.

Displaying his profound understanding of the dialectical interconnections of our revolution, he told me to tell you that nationalization of mines is not a panacea to all the problems facing the youth. By their very character, the youth of our country are not a homogenous entity whose aspirations are fixed only on nationalization. They have multi dimensional developmental needs that equally need the attention of the ANCYL. Comrade Chris emphasized that we press you for more answers as to how the nationalization of mines will benefit the working class youth, rural and urban youth. He is breathlessly awaiting answers from you in this regard Your Highness.

Peter Mokaba called me from his grave as well. He insisted I tell you that the kill the Boer kill the farmer song was the last vestige of the era that was immediately passing him. He is baffled that you choose to sing that song again in the current conjuncture. He said I must tell you that even he has been convinced by Joe Slovo in the other world of the fundamental necessity to build a non-racial South Africa as a central objective of our revolution. That, he said, is a primary responsibility of everyone who call themselves ANC/ANCYL member or leader. Anything to the contrary is tantamount to narrow nationalism of the worst kind.

He says he is very angry that you have misused his name for your popularity in order to amass, as it has been alleged, so much wealth whilst impoverishing his people in the province of his birth, Limpopo. He says he doesn't know if he can ever forgive you for this cardinal sin.

I also got a call from the grave of sisi Ncumisa Kandlo. She said I must tell you in no uncertain terms that you must at once stop using abusive language against women. She said women, irrespective of their political affiliation, do not need to have men in their lives so that their political integrity and judgment is not questioned. She said to tell you that the ANC, her life long political home, is not an organization where women are used as pool factors for those men who would want to join.

Steve Tshwete called me from his grave also. In his abrasive style, he told me he was available to heed your call to be arrested if you have stolen from the poor. He said he will drag you kicking and screaming to jail, not hold you high as a hero.

I was pleasantly surprised by a joint call from the graves of K.K Papiyane, Wanga Sigila, Xola Nene, Sibusiso Zuma and Claude Qavane. I'm not sure if you know them Your Honor. They were prominent leaders of SASCO who had clarity of vision and purpose. They said I must tell you that they are disappointed that you seem to have shown contempt to the kind of youth political activism and intellectualism they engendered during their life time.

They told me, with fire in their voices, to tell you that the institutions of higher learning are not a circus or stage for stand up comedies for you to spew bile to leaders of our movement. They say if you can't mobilize students around those programmes that affect their immediate challenges then stay away from these institutions. They warned you Your Highness!

They have also questioned as to why you choose to stay away from where it matters most, the revolting townships of our country. They say it is the youth who are in the majority in those protests. Why can't you go and provide leadership there so that there is no destruction of public property? Is Julius afraid of the township masses? They asked of you Your Merciful.

These gallant young fighters also asked you that if crime is so rampant among youth and they end up in jail, who is going to work your nationalized mines? If many among youth are failing matric and others are drop outs of universities and technikons, who will run the economy? If the rural youth is neglected in abject poverty, who will lead rural development?

They concluded that the President the ANCYL needs is someone who ought to respond to these fundamental challenges without using loose rhetoric and empty slogans as you have done Your Honor.

They said they have just the right person in mind. Only time will tell!

Who am I to question or contest the dead My Lord?

Mzukisi Makatse

Your Formerly Loyal Servant

Mzukisi Makatse is a Centurion Central ANCYL Member writing in his personal capacity

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