Still an inconvenient youth

More than a ringleader, a rabble-rouser and a rebel, Julius Malema is a new kind of cadre in South African political life, a radical product of 100 years of struggle politics and one of the first of the post-1994 leaders to emerge. Whether you love him or loathe him, he is undeniably one of the most controversial politicians of our time. Still An Inconvenient Youth traces Malema’s life, from his early, poverty-stricken years in Limpopo to his joining the student structures of the ANC in the early 1990s, and his rapid rise through the party’s ranks to become the president of the ANC Youth League in 2008 and his expulsion from the African National Congress in 2012. Forde looks at the continuing story of Julius Malema from his numerous court cases to his bold move back into politics by founding new political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Forde analyses the sources of Malema’s wealth, exploring his seamless approach to business and politics. She situates Malema within the ANC’s history and shows in unprecedented detail how he has perfected the practices that characterise a new ‘struggle’ in which individuals extend their personal wealth and political power at the expense of the people. This insightful, meticulously researched account explores how a brave child has grown to become a grave inconvenience, not only to the ANC, but also, due to his style of politics, to South Africa’s fledgling democracy.

‘Insightful, thorough and balanced, An Inconvenient Youth is a crucial contribution towards understanding a man who is arguably South Africa’s most-talked-about politician today.’ Redi Tlhabi

Fiona Forde is an Irish journalist and political risk analyst based in Johannesburg. For a number of years she has covered politics and current affairs in South Africa and abroad for print and radio media.