CONTROVERSIAL: Malema

These days Botswana is a skipping rope. Even Julius Malema has grabbed his piece of the rope and is smiling all the way into local newspapers including the ghetto as a strategy to enhance his ever growing controversial share of the limelight. This works for Malema who like Khanyi Mbau, the South African socialite are pets of the media with their notorious antics. Botswana never the leader but always the follower have been taken Hook, Line and Sinker by the Julius Malema saga. Why are we applauding Malema when we are supposed to ask him to mind his own business and his own country.
We have motor mouths like Botswana National Front  Youth League’s  (BNFYL) Arafat Khan who shoots from the hip and is seldom given the media hype he deserves in the line of the Malema style.
Enter Malema, a character who defies his African National Congress and insults his President and we hail him a hero as he calls our country a puppet government.

Are we so not capable of effecting a regime change if we so wish to an extent of giving the Malema’s of this world expensive newspaper space as well as hero worship.
This is appalling and goes on to show how we lack a backbone as a nation. Let Malema deal with his country’s regime change and let us deal with our own. The flamboyant lifestyle Malema leads with multi million rands worth mansions not to mention his expensive taste for clothes, watches and cars should be seen as a deterrent. With our fledgling economy we do not wish to send a wrong message to our youth who are the leaders of tomorrow that we endorse a character like Malema.

MOTOR MOUTH: Khan

Smart and witty Malema knows how to manipulate not only the media but the masses. This comes handy as his name remains on everyone’s lips, his supporters and detractors alike.  A big name in his country known to rouse anger and excitement, he is bored and doesn’t shy from crossing the line and attacking neighbouring countries like ours.
We are quite capable of mastering our own destiny if we stop playing games and concentrate on positive ways to contribute to the development of our country and even change the government of the day. But it is crucial for our leaders, not only the incumbent government but the opposition as well to show us their leadership qualities. We are not idiots who will support the likes of the Malemas or support leaders who support such characters.
We want leadership we can trust. We want leaders who put the cards on the table and show us their capability not airheads who hero-worship Malema’s outrages.

If we want political entertainment, we have our own motor mouths like Khan, among others. Let us give our Arafat Khans our support and build our own ‘political celebrities’ and entertainers.
Khan in his endorsement of BNF President blogged on a social network that he would ‘take a bullet for Comrade Boko’. Here is a young man who should be gracing newspaper pages, as our own entertainer and not Julius Malema.

Culture, what culture?
I was in awe of a young Zimbabwean pregnant woman who didn’t give the father of his unborn babe a moment of sleep.
The father, a fellow Zimbabwean wanted to copy the Botswana way of sending the pregnant girlfriend to her family. She was not amused and stood her ground even if it meant going to her boyfriends’ family whom she had never met by herself. The end result is that her baby will have the father’s name and financial support.
We talk about culture which we improvise to meet our needs and we forget the crucial one of parenthood. Our children don’t meet their fathers who hide behind marriage and ignore children they conceived, their own blood and flesh. And we have the guts to talk about culture. What culture if we have created a society fo children who grow up without knowing the scent of their fathers?
This creates a chaotic society of loose morals. It is high time we embrace our culture of strict maintenance of every child. Instead of our Parliament signing draconian Bills like the Media Practitioners Act, they should be crying until their voices are hoarse about endorsing father’s names on children’s birth certificates. This way, men, would think twice about hopping from one bedroom to another  having sex without condoms. Not only will this decrease the number of ‘fatherless’ children but also curb the spread of HIV and AIDS.

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