Most recently in South Africa, one Julius Sello Malema or 'Juju' as his supporters fondly call him, found himself in the cold when the African National Congress gave him the boot, after finding him guilty of sowing divisions and bringing the party into disrepute.
The former ANC Youth League president was expelled from the party, for his record in making 'controversial' statements and causing a near diplomatic disaster between South Africa and her neighbours, most notably Botswana.
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| Julius Sello Malema (Photo by rwrant.co.za) |
He's been called a "reckless populist" but what's fascinating about this young politician who joined the ANC at the tender age of nine, is his resilience & ability to identify with other young South Africans who have continued to back him, despite his bad run with the ANC and NDC. Though he may not be in President Jacob Zuma's good books , he's still widely considered to be a potential presidential aspirant. Watching a recent interview of him, the man oozed of charisma and an appealing leadership quality rare for his 31 years of age.
Back here in Kenya, sad to say, there's still a huge vacuum in the political arena; a definite lack of young minds who exude leadership qualities. In fact, when most young Kenyans are asked to give reasons as to why they don't vote, their standard response is usually, "because there's no presidential aspirant from my generation with whom I can identify with".
This is a very worrying trend
Is it up to the youth to raise and empower young leaders or has the older generation failed us by deliberately failing to mentor young people in the area of leadership & civic participation?
Some food for thought.
Z.
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