DURBAN - Recognising that Julius Malema and his EFF constitute a malignant cancer in our democracy (The Mercury, February 27) is not enough. What needs to be appreciated is the relevance of his radical rhetoric in the wider African context.
Africa’s experience with multiparty democracy has invariably degenerated into single-party dictatorships.
Zimbabwe is a case in point. Robert Mugabe won the 1980 election and all subsequent ones through brutal intimidation. Moderate parties proved no match.
Already by demanding land expropriation, the EFF has compelled the ANC to adapt its stance.
To date the ANC government has failed to act firmly and decisively against Malema’s promise to slaughter whites, while Vicki Momberg was jailed for racist rhetoric. That failure is enabling Malema’s extremism to gain traction and legitimacy.
If left unchallenged, through intimidation it will become the norm at which point South Africa will become just another one-party state dictatorship. The history of post-independence Africa attests to that.