JUSTICE MALALA OP-ED: Julius's New Flame

The South African center-right columnist for the Financial Mail (South Africa) takes Julius Malema - the head of the African National Congress Youth League and a prominent socialist in the country - to task for advocating nationalization of South Africa's mines: "It is a pity that esteemed readers of this fine journal do not care much for the tabloid press. For there was much joyous news in this week's Sunday World that portends growth and stability for our economy. Julius Malema, the newspaper told us breathlessly, has fallen head over heels in love. No, that is not the news likely to improve prospects for our economy. The real hot tip is the fact that within two weeks of falling in love JuJu Baby, as Malema is known among his plethora of fans, has decided to sample the joys of travel. Sunday World 'revealed' that the firebrand had fallen for Lebo Baholo, an office administrator. 'The two met a fortnight ago and this week are taking an international trip together. Says our source: 'All we know is that the two are flying out to the UK on July 15. They will be celebrating Nelson Mandela Day together in England.'' Pardon me if I stop here and shout Hallelujah! Travel, I believe, is exactly what our young leader needs to broaden his horizons. It is revealing that our dear friend is off to Mother England and not to Zambia or the former Soviet Union. He cannot go there, friends. Those countries are ruins. They were ruined by what JuJu Baby is now advocating: nationalisation."

More: "You will remember that JuJu Baby set the cat among the pigeons a few weeks ago when he called for the nationalisation of the country's mines. Now that he has the travel bug I hope he will pop into a few of the countries which fell into the nationalisation trap. I am hoping, in fact, that he pops into Zambia or the former East Gemany and sees for himself what absolute hellholes they are. Heck, if he takes his lady love Lebo with him I have no doubt she will show him the door before he can say 'Karl Marx'. These places are not romantic. Nothing works: the lights, the hotels, the roads, the mines, nothing. I know. I have been there."