'Loud-mouthed Gucci revolutionary': Mugabe govt slates Malema AGAIN

25 January 2017

Harare - "A puny struggling person." "A shrunken talkative joke." Oh and a "loud-mouthed Gucci revolutionary."

Just in case the message didn't get through the first time, President Robert Mugabe's government is making sure everyone knows it is not pleased with the EFF leader's recent "Grandpa it's enough" comments.

Malema's attack on the nearly-93-year-old Zimbabwean leader on Monday was "irritatingly despicable", said information minister Christopher Mushohwe in a nearly two-page long statement that was read out on state TV's main evening news bulletin.

The minister said Malema was seeking to make up for his "inner political deficiencies" by "projecting himself as a trans-border continental politician who fancies himself big and cute enough to pass comment and judgement on developments elsewhere on the continent."

Zanu-PF lawmaker Psychology Maziwisa had already called Malema a "little irrelevant man" - but this signed diatribe from the information minister shows the extent to which it has stung some officials from Mugabe's government.

(Or at least, it shows the extent to which the information minister and those who may have drafted his speech believe they need to show the holidaying Mugabe that they are defending him).

Malema used to be outspoken in his praise of Mugabe, stoking the ire of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

But in this statement Mugabe's government is accusing the EFF leader of "treacherous, pro-white... politics" - exactly the same kind of words it uses to refer to the MDC.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.