[Potemkin]

What about the two thugs with baseball caps and sagging britches who stormed onto the stage? What station is that? "Thugs R' us" ?

I noticed that one of the AWB's thugs with a baseball cap and sagging britches stormed onto the stage first. Having said that, the female journalist was clearly firing rhetorical questions at him without waiting for his answers. This was unacceptable behaviour, but the AWB spokesman grossly overreacted and made himself look ridiculous. I notice that she smiled to herself when he got up and stormed off; she had elicited the response which she had hoped for. The AWB's leadership have a very bad habit of flying into a rage at the slightest provocation; this does nothing to help the image of their cause, and simply makes them look like unstable idiots.

[Kapanda]

Surely we can come to a meeting point and accept that the lady was wrong for interrupting the man, and the man was also wrong for being that aggressive to the lady, right?

[Potemkin]

Agreed.

[politburo player]

Having said that, the female journalist was clearly firing rhetorical questions at him without waiting for his answers. This was unacceptable behaviour, but the AWB spokesman grossly overreacted and made himself look ridiculous. I notice that she smiled to herself when he got up and stormed off; she had elicited the response which she had hoped for.

What else would you want him to do? Stay on the stage and keep on getting yelled at by that commie? She wouldn't let him have a word in edgewise, and her actual "questions" (if you can call them questions) involved sweeping generalities about poor, starving blacks in SA and had nothing to do with the AWB network or ET, but in fact would probably have more to do with corrupt, incompetent black leadership that is making South Africa's poverty problems worse.

[Potemkin]

What else would you want him to do? Stay on the stage and keep on getting yelled at by that commie? She wouldn't let him have a word in edgewise, and her actual "questions" (if you can call them questions) involved sweeping generalities about poor, starving blacks in SA and had nothing to do with the AWB network or ET, but in fact would probably have more to do with corrupt, incompetent black leadership that is causing all the poverty.

He is supposedly the spokesman for a serious political party. I would therefore expect him to remain calm even under provocation (and this was not extreme provocation - I hate to think how he would have reacted if Jeremy Paxman had been haranguing him). He should have waited patiently while she made her point (such as it was), and then quietly stated that, while he had sympathy for the poverty of millions of black South Africans, it should be remembered that South Africa had had an ANC government since 1994, yet nothing had been done to solve these grave social injustices, and that furthermore, the white South Africans also were suffering grave social injustices, and that only the AWB are either able or willing to address those injustices yadda yadda yadda... you get the idea. Instead, he acted like an infant whose favourite toy has fallen out of his pram. If the AWB wants to get anywhere, it has to do better than this.

[politburo player]

He is supposedly the spokesman for a serious political party. I would therefore expect him to remain calm even under provocation (and this was not extreme provocation - I hate to think how he would have reacted if Jeremy Paxman had been haranguing him). He should have waited patiently while she made her point (such as it was), and then quietly stated that, while he had sympathy for the poverty of millions of black South Africans, it should be remembered that South Africa had had an ANC government since 1994, yet nothing had been done to solve these grave social injustices, and that furthermore, the white South Africans also were suffering grave social injustices, and that only the AWB are either able or willing to address those injustices yadda yadda yadda... you get the idea. Instead, he acted like an infant whose favourite toy has fallen out of his pram. If the AWB wants to get anywhere, it has to do better than this.

They need somebody as well trained as Geert Wilders in the art of owning debates against liberals. You will likely write him off too, but he will, according to most sources, control Dutch parliament in a couple months...

By the way, there is an article in the latest economist about how corrupt, moneyed South African politicians are buying BMW's like they're going out of style...And how BMW is expanding its presence in the country as a result of all the new millionaire politicians. Go figure. African communists are drunk on power after stealing their parent's Cadillac in 1994. Wait till they drive it into a wall. I bet in a few years there will be rows of UN cargo planes loaded with rice at most of SA's major airports.

[Alchemy]

What I saw was an edited diatribe, a woman with an afro (clearly a bleeding heart commie - ANC pawn) asking a known conservative loaded, rhetorical questions. I guess that's what happens when you go to journalism school in an ANC kraal. My friend, if you keep on buying this ANC crap, your cuisine will consist of rice dropped from UN helicopters within a few years. I can't believe you would post this crap. The SA news agencies are no better than Saddam Hussein's state media.

Here, look at people's responses to this stupid interview........ Everybody thinks News24 is "Jerry Springer-esque" in its journalism standards.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... d-20100408

What about the two thugs with baseball caps and sagging britches who stormed onto the stage? What station is that? "Thugs R' us" ?

You SA liberals have made your own bed, now you have to sleep in it. In the coming years, if rabid ANC thugs start busting down your doors, don't expect the U.S. or Europe to come to your rescue. If events keep on unfolding, and if someone like Malema gets elected president, you guys are totally screwed.

You are a very selective viewer! You will find one of the AWB leaders henchman was one of the first on the scene.

[politburo player]

My friend, I can't wait to hear what you have to say about my 'ignorance' once Julius Malema gets control of South Africa in the coming years. The only reason Zuma hasn't pulled him out of the public spotlight is because the old man is scared of Malema's capabilities... Both The Economist and Time magazines had lengthy articles on Malema's rise in S. Africa... I can gaurantee you, I am not going anywhere...

[Kaspar]

My friend, I can't wait to hear what you have to say about my 'ignorance' once Julius Malema gets control of South Africa in the coming years.

Julius Malema is a very scary prospect for South Africa. But I think you're being a little too confident in assuming he's going to get control of South Africa, and even run the country into the ground if he does become president.

First of all, much of the country is becoming more opposed to the populist streak in the ANC, most notably seen in the elections last year. Jacob Zuma, very much seen as a populist during the election, saw the greatest turn out against the ANC in any South African election. The ANC lost 33 seats, the DA gained 20, if I remember correctly. COPE, which was created shortly before the 2009 elections in opposition to Zuma gained 30 seats. If Malema does end up running for president, in the long run it could even be better for South African anyways. Such a polarizing figure would only give more seats to the DA and COPE.

Secondly, even if Malema does become president, Zuma has taught us that we can't have preconceived notions about the ANC's populist leaders and what they may do in office, regardless of what their pre-presidential rhetoric is. Many feared Zuma's ties with COSATU and the communists but in reality he's only continued the neoliberal economic policies of Mandela and Mbeki, that you would most likely approve of. He even kept South Africa's neoliberal economic savior, Trevor Manuel, in his administration. You seem to enjoy calling South Africa's politicians communists, and it's actually quite funny considering that practically all economists state that the reason why South Africa is economically progressing following the fall of Apartheid is because of it's wide embrace of neoliberal economic policies, i.e. focusing on keeping inflation level, etc.

Just because the ANC allied itself with a communist political party doesn't mean the ANC is a communist party. After all, politics is politics, and in developing nations like South Africa sometimes things get a little stickier than in politically comfy countries like the US.

[politburo player]

Just because the ANC allied itself with a communist political party doesn't mean the ANC is a communist party. After all, politics is politics, and in developing nations like South Africa sometimes things get a little stickier than in politically comfy countries like the US.

The reason SA didn't descend into rampant nationalization after 1994 is because BEE was promoted by the 99% ruling white business elite as an alternative. The black leadership that went along with it knew it was a good way to appease the leftist elements within the "kill the boer" demographic. However, after 16 years, only 12% of companies on the SA stock exchange are led by 'black' CEO's, presidents, or otherwise. The majority of SA's major industries and institutions are still run by whites, and Zuma or any black majority party that runs SA needs their expertise and experience desperately. Those whites that Malema hates are the only thing separating SA from Zimbabwe.

That is why I think the next few months will be very telling...To see how Zuma controls Malema during the World Cup. Of course I will be here to observe...

A lot of American news agencies are starting to take notice of South Africa... Time magazine and the Economist, both liberal publications, delved into the "3,000" number of Boer farmers killed as well as the unprecedented rise of Malema in SA politics...