Julius Malema

Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician who is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a populist far-left political party known for the red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members.

Born on 3 March 1981, Malema was born and raised in the township of Seshego near Polokwane in the Transvaal, in the region now known as Limpopo.

His family is Northern Sotho, and his mother was a domestic worker and a single parent.

In 1995, Malema joined the ANC Youth League and became the chairperson of his local branch in Seshego and of the regional branch in broader Capricorn.

In 1997, he became the provincial chairperson of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in Limpopo.

He was elected as national president of COSAS in 2001.

In May of the following year, he led a COSAS students' march through Johannesburg; the march was marked by incidents of violence and looting.

Malema matriculated from Mohlakaneng High School in Seshego.

Before its foundation, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League from 2008 until his expulsion from the party in 2012.

As a child, Malema joined the ANC and was a highly engaged member growing up; he was ultimately elected president of its Youth League in April 2008 under controversial circumstances.

While president, he was an early proponent of nationalising South Africa's mining industry and expropriating land without compensation.

He rose to national prominence as an outspoken supporter of Jacob Zuma, then-ANC president and later President of South Africa.

By 2008, Malema was the provincial secretary of the Limpopo branch of the ANC Youth League and a leading contender for election as president of the national league.

His candidacy had the support of outgoing league president Fikile Mbalula, while outgoing league secretary-general Sihle Zikalala supported the more moderate candidate, Saki Mofokeng.

Following an extremely heated campaign and a disorderly plenary, Malema was elected ANC Youth League president at the league's 23rd National Conference in Bloemfontein in April 2008.

He received 1,833 votes against Mofokeng's 1,696 votes and was elected alongside a slate of allies, including Andile Lungisa as deputy president.

The outcome of the vote was immediately disputed, including by conference delegates who claimed that incidents of intimidation had prevented them from voting.

The conference devolved into disorder, with some delegates throwing chairs, and adjourned without concluding its business.

Malema later criticised the "unbecoming conduct" shown by delegates at the conference.

Following an intervention by the mainstream ANC, the league held a special closed congress in Johannesburg in June.

On the recommendation of ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, Mofokeng agreed to affirm the results of the election held in April.

By the time of his election as Youth League president, Malema, like most of the league's membership, was a strong supporter of ANC president Jacob Zuma and an outspoken critic of former ANC president Thabo Mbeki.

In June 2008, he defended Zuma – then facing prosecution on corruption charges – at a rally in Thaba 'Nchu, Free State, famously (and to broad condemnation) announcing, "We are prepared to die for Zuma... We are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma".

In September, he vowed to "eliminate any force" that sought to block Zuma from the national presidency.

Malema has been embroiled in a variety of legal issues throughout his political career: he has been convicted of hate speech twice, once in March 2010 for demeaning comments about Zuma's rape accuser, and again in September 2011 for singing "Dubul' ibhunu" ("Shoot the Boer").

In 2010, he completed a two-year diploma in youth development through the University of South Africa (UNISA).

However, Malema's relationship with Zuma strained immensely following numerous disciplinary deliberations against him by the ANC; by 2012, he was campaigning for Zuma to be removed from office, ahead of the ANC's 53rd National Conference.

In April of that year, months before the conference was due to take place, Malema was expelled from the ANC for bringing the party into disrepute.

In 2012, Malema was charged with fraud, money laundering and racketeering.

The following year, he founded the EFF, and was elected to the National Assembly in 2014, winning 25 seats in the assembly.

After numerous postponements, the case was dismissed by the courts in 2015 due to repeated delays by the National Prosecuting Authority, leading to perceptions that the charges were politically motivated.

Also at UNISA, he subsequently completed a Bachelor of Arts in communications and African languages in March 2016 an Honours degree in philosophy in 2017.

However, AfriForum announced in 2018 that it would mount a private prosecution of Malema on the corruption charges.

Malema is a controversial and divisive figure in South African politics: he has been favourably described by both Zuma and the Premier of Limpopo Province, Cassel Mathale, as the "future leader" of South Africa.

Detractors describe him as a "reckless populist" with the potential to destabilise South Africa and spark racial conflict.

In 2018, he enrolled in a master's degree programme at the University of the Witwatersrand.

After his mother died, he was raised by his grandmother, who died in May 2019.

According to Malema, he joined the Masupatsela ("trailblazers") movement of the African National Congress (ANC) at the age of nine or ten.

His main task at the time was to remove National Party posters.

He has claimed to have received military training at the age of 13 but this claim has been disputed for lack of corroborating witnesses.