Underestimate Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema at your peril.
That was the advice given by outgoing University of Free State vice-chancellor Professor Jonathan Jansen in a candid interview with the Sunday Times about the EFF leader’s political wit.
Jansen‚ who has had personal encounters with the red berets’ commander-in-chief‚ said people should not take his political smarts for granted.
“The biggest mistake that people made then and now‚ particularly the ANC (African National Congress)‚ the biggest mistake they made is to underestimate the intelligence‚ the political smarts of Julius Malema‚” he said.
Malema’s ability to size up‚ summarise and understand a complex problem is uncanny‚ he added.
“We make a huge mistake especially in the parliamentary context to underestimate his ability to bring politics to the agenda for change. We underestimate him at our peril‚” said Jansen.
The professor also hailed the EFF leader’s respect for the importance of education in the country. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital