I ADMIRE JULIUS MALEMA

I am an admirer of Julius Malema…

This may come as massive surprise for everyone who knows me – but before you think any differently about me, let me outline why I am saying this.

Julius Malema, our favourite verbal diarrheic – whatever you think of the man, he has done something few of us have. He became a political entrepreneur.

These beasts are few and far between, with most notable icons of political entrepreneurs being George Washington of the USA and Mahatma Gandhi of India, just to name a few.

These are men who had a dream, a vision and had the ‘balls’ to take the proverbial bull by the horn. Remembering, Business Management 101 – he saw the window of opportunity and entered the market before the window closed. Timing, playing a crucial role in achieving success and exposure, something AGANG SA could learn something about. (On my next post I will write something about my swipe at AGANG SA).

So now, Mr Malema is conducting business, and garnering support from a marginalised sector of the populations, and nothing moves people together as the spirit of complaining. And it is because of all this that I deeply admire this political genius in being so entrepreneurial and making use of the opportunities in front of him, after being pronounce dead on the political scene, he still breathes and not just breathing, but thriving under a banner of his choosing. That is a great entrepreneurial story.

But like any seasoned entrepreneur would tell you, it does not end there.

A few weeks ago I was wrung up by a representative of the Julius Malema’s EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) brigade. I was quite excited to receive this call and alarmed that I had only hand my new cellular number for 4 months and ‘strangers’ are calling me up.

What a delightful fellow, I spoke to – attentive and an excellent salesman, he knew my profile, and had educated assumptions on what I would find of value; speaking to my values and desires for the country.

I found myself, once again, in marvel to this ‘rebel movement’ seeming to organise itself in a cohesive and thought-out manner. With a leader who could barely pass woodwork, but has proven to be an astute political entrepreneur – the sales interview went on for 15 to 20 minutes, where the caller, tried to convince me of the value and merits of joining the EFF. Alas, after that magnificent pitch I had to declare the gentleman that I would not be joining the party he was so feverishly punting.

What I admired about this sales agent/man was his knowledge of the party, their manifesto, which I had read due to Facebook and he had such a deep, rather dark, but deep passion for his chosen party. After the interview I was stunned, thinking, I would love to work with people with such skills for sales and passion for our organisation.