Julius Malema is the 29-year-old President of the ANC Youth League who has been the subject of some controversy due to his racist and nationalistic comments.
Among many other incidents, Malema harassed a BBC reporter at the ANC Youth League Press Conference. Apparently Jonah Fisher, the BBC correspondent, made a remark that angered Malema causing him to accuse the reporter of "white tendencies" and demanding him to leave after he 'maturely' insulted the man's masculinity. See the video below for actual footage of the confrontation.
He has been an embarrassment for President Zuma, who apologized and reprimanded him in a statement to the press. Zuma also said that Malema will face consequences for his rash outbursts and immature language, but has yet to make any obvious show of punishment.
I find this behavior by a Youth Leader appalling. Malema is supposed to be a good example of an ANC member to the youth, but is ironically behaving like a child. Personally, If I was a member of the ANC I would be embarrassed he was in my party. In no way should a journalist be insulted like Fisher was that day. It's petty and absolutely ridiculous that it came from a rising political star in South Africa. What's funny is that Fisher had a very valid point and instead of answering it, Malema jumped to the bias news excuse. Challenging someone because they say something hypocritical is not agenda setting, it's what journalists do, we are watchdogs.
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