By Farayi Mungoshi

ON May 12 2016, The Patriot published an article I wrote expressing my appreciation at Julius Malema’s not turning back on economic empowerment for the black people of South Africa and his views on land issues.
In the article entitled, ‘Is South Africa really free?’, I said it is not just the statues (of the oppressive colonial settlers) that need to be pulled down, but a mentality that discriminates against self and those associated with black colour.
Barely four months have passed and I find myself having to revisit my views and points, wondering if I have to take back my words, asking myself if Malema is actually the man I thought he was.
Growing up in Chitungwiza and frequenting the village every school holiday, meeting up with grandfather and grandmother and all the other relatives residing nearby and their neighbours, I had an understanding that we all have a place we come from.
A place of belonging, where our culture and traditions are still very strong, be it for a Christian or non-Christian.
A place we still greet, first by shaking hands and then clapping our cupped hands afterwards, asking after the well-being of others.
When eating from the same plate, we always waited for the eldest to eat first and also pick the meat first from the plate.
My mother never allowed me to call an elder ‘cousin brother’ by his first name like I hear in other families, even the older guys from the street we grew up in Chitungwiza; we always addressed them as ‘mukoma’ and then followed by name.
In other words, we were brought up to respect our elders.
This was not just in our culture.
It is a world order.
We certainly do not stand up and walk away when elders are talking to us. However, I have seen this over and over again now on television, where a child walks out on a parent who is trying to advise him or her because he/she disagrees with what is being said.
And slowly, unawares we are all becoming a rebellious bunch.
At boarding schools and workplaces, seniority and protocol is kept to maintain order and avoid plunging the institution into disarray.
So when Malema appeared in the South African Parliament backed up by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) a couple of weeks ago and ridiculed President Jacob Zuma by saying: “This house only allows honourable people to speak here. We are not allowing a criminal to speak to this house,” – I was left scratching my head.
He had just called the President of a nation a criminal and without respect, yet he (President Zuma) represents the country worldwide.
This was not the first time Malema lashed out at President Zuma.
A few South Africans I met during that time were happy that Malema had done this.
In May, he called Zuma names as he addressed a gathering of 5 000 people in Ackerville, Emalahleni and went further to ridicule him saying that he (President Zuma) would have worked as a ‘queue marshal at the local taxi rank’ if it wasn’t for ANC.
When we address our presidents in Africa, we have a tendency of viewing them as our fathers and we often refer to them as that.
The role of a father is to protect, serve and groom his children into becoming champions and masters in their careers and in turn be able to groom their own children.
It is when we dis-engage ourselves from family that the enemy finds a crack within our own system and infiltrates us.
One who understands the value of the President’s Office and respects it would never utter such demeaning words as ‘umakhandakhanda’ meaning big head in English, better translated ‘zimusoro’ in Shona, which is how we would insult each other when we were still at school.
Malema’s repeated attacks on President Zuma sounds more personal by the day, but by so doing I wonder if he is aware that a young boy somewhere is watching, unwittingly admiring him for saying such daring words at a man not only old enough to be his father, but is actually his president.
Have we lost our ways to speak like this and call it politics?
One day when the Zuma generation passes down the baton stick to the Malema generation, chances are, they too will be subjects of ridicule, why?
Because unawares they have taught today’s youngsters that it is normal to call your own president names and to walk out when he is talking.
The people of South Africa remember more of the Guptas, and the Nkandla issue when it comes to Zuma.
They have for some reason forgotten he was a member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (militant arm of the ANC).
In 1963 he was arrested and served at Robben Island for 10 years.
In 1973, he was released and continued working underground with the ANC.
Later he would also go into exile.
Zuma is one of the founding fathers of the new and free South Africa.
He joined the struggle more than 30 years before the birth of Malema in 1981 and as such does not deserve this kind of treatment.
Not that I approve of the Nkandla issue or others for that matter, but still the issue remains, he was one of the people who brought freedom to South Africa.
He fought so that others may enjoy the freedom they have today, to be able to walk the streets without a dog chasing you.
So while we preach black empowerment, we should understand that humility comes along with it – without that, we really are no different from those we profess to differ from.