Being the reasonable person I think I am, there are so-called stories and news that are not newsworthy and just not worth reporting at all. Or as people would prefer: that are not in the public interest. Before getting into the crap that some newspapers would report on or have a tendency of reporting, I thought of giving meanings to the following terms:

• In the public interest: that which will generate the community point of views or interests,
• Crap: just bullshit or nonsense,
• Newsworthy: of sufficient interest to the public or a special audience to warrant press attention or coverage,

With the above in mind, was Julius “Juju” Malema (not) paying his traffic fines and renewing his driver’s licence in any possible way in and of the public interest?

The Times newspaper reported of Malema paying his traffic fines and renewing his driver’s licence. Now this is what I call even crapper journalism.

And yes, I may know nothing about journalism let alone having studied the subject (and I write anyway) – but that does not mean I cannot make up my own mind of what would be in the public interest and what would not? Hell, even Jacob Zuma did not go to some university to study masters or doctoral degree to learn leadership in order to lead a developing country such as ours, South Africa, but he is a president.

A staff reporter for The Times quoted Beeld newspaper which quoted The Star that reported on Monday that Juju had two outstanding traffic fines equal to R4 450. “Eleven of the fines were for speeding and ranged from R100 to R1100. The other was for skipping a red light. All the fines were linked to the C-class Mercedes-Benz, which Malema claimed was the only car he owned,” the newspaper had reported.

According to Julian Rademeyer, a Media24 journalist, who covered the story both on News24 and Beeld newspaper – it is alleged by the former report that most of the fines were issued against Mercedes Benz C-class cars and other fines for Hyundai Tucson suspectedly belonging to or owned by Juju.

Juju’s spokesperson has since denied allegations in the report as it was “not true… [and that Juju] has got a driver’s licence”.  At least that’s a relief, for now maybe. And one may have to agree with Juju spokesperson that these kinds of reports are private things… [and that people, and newspapers in this case]… are just being sensational about it” mainly because one does not see why we should be informed of this.

Everyone gets traffic fines once in a while. My father did receive more than one last year, my colleagues did receive a couple this year. And probably some members of the Democratic Alliance – excuse my politicking of this issue – and even some members of the African National Congress, with the possibility of some African National Young League members have received one or two fines before and there has not been any report on that before. So what’s the fuss? Or is it because of  one’s position in an organization – and Malema being president of the ANCYL in this case – that everyone suddenly reports on his traffic fines?

Does this mean the next time we are likely to see reports of what shoe size Malema wears, what underwear size (if any) – whether tanga or just boxer – what’s in his refrigerator, etc? Please, this is just some crap journalism.

The only time when one heard of a politician’s shoe size was during the corruption trail of a now ‘drug trafficker’ Glenn Agliotti when he told the Johannesburg Court last year that he had bought former president Thabo Mbeki a size 7 pair of shoes because he had “small and broad feet”.

What is even disappointing is that although the Star may have broken the story which both Beeld and News24 took forth – The Times newspaper has not made any follow up on the story and at the time of writing there was not follow-up on the newspaper’s web site on whether Juju’s spokesperson or Juju himself had admitted to or denied the allegation, yet the Star and News24 and Beeld did make a follow up.

Now what is that?

Shouldn’t The Times have made a follow on the story as is and would be reasonably expected of newspapers and journalists or rather journalism in general: report and make a follow up? Or like some journos would have us believe: report, however crap the story may be, and let readers make up their mind?

Well, in that case I just made up mine: “When news is hard to find and report on, newspapers write crap.”

Akanyang Merementsi blogs at Akanyang Africa.

Where do you start: nationalisation, disrespecting, swearing and even disgust at elders, shooting to kill, and labelling someone a “racist little girl”?

If anyone is to write a biography on Malema – that person would certainly have it both ways. This is because the process, not to forget the subject thereof, would certainly be quite interesting and enjoyable too. I mean, it’s Malema you’ll be writing about and too much should be expected.

Firstly, you are very much likely to have Malema agreeing to the biography wherein he would say many things, a lot of which we otherwise have never heard him say or being quoted as having said. Secondly, it would be funny in that you would hear a different version of his “controversial” statements which at times, have landed him in a ‘hot pot’ so that someone had to call in JZ.

However, what one can say for sure is that Julius Malema is an African National CongressYouth League president who speaks his mind. He does not care what position you hold in government or in the private sector. Moreover, the following are just some of the things likely to be included in Malema’s biography, I hope, by whoever will have the guts to write it.

• He is a “layman” who completed matric aged 21.
• He is, and can be very forgiving. He advised that former president Thabo Mbeki “not be charged” for a somewhat incomprehensible and ill-informed ‘genocide charged’ due to his alleged denial of HIV causing AIDS,
• Last year he said, “Nationalisation of mines was necessary to generate income for the government so that it could fund free education and provide better services for the people”. He recently reiterated that although the ANCYL agreed with JZ on nationalisation not being a government Public Policy, “no one should attempt to stop the… League [he leads] from raising the debate [on nationalisation]“ and that they therefore “don’t want Zuma’s or Mbalula’s support… [but] want the support of the masses” because the white people stole the land from the black majority, and he certainly will not let them steal the mines too this time.
• He can be very  mobilising of society against anyone he deems an enemy, or even corporations.
• He would certainly condemn you as “rascals and thugs” if you likened him to a “Mickey Mouse” probably for talking too much so that he sometimes gets into trouble with the big boss.
• He would eliminate anyone opposed to Zuma, and probably the ANC too — who knows?
• He certainly can be called to order for stepping out of “that line”.
• He can be very generous in giving to the somewhat needy when and as he sees fit.
• He is  ridiculously protected by state as if he is Mandela, Mbeki or even Zuma the president for his life is considered to be more in danger than yours and mine.
• He would tell you to accept the African leadership even when you do not agree with or accept it. Period!
• He believes that Zuma would probably even lead us from prison one day.

What South Africans came to know recently about Malema, except what we may have known before, is that the man is rich. The Sunday Times reported Malema as very rich. This was after the Star newspaper reported of his “millions” recently.

According to the Star report, Malema was able to buy two houses worth 4.6m, cars worth 1.2m and a Breitling watch to the value of 250.00. He now has about 3 cars, and is reportedly a director of four companies: 101 Junjus Trading CC, Blue Nightingale Trading 61, Ever Roaring Investment and SGL Engineering Projects.

When asked by the newspaper how he could afford such a luxurious lifestyle, the militant Malema said the journalist should rather write about herself, her husband and her family. “You and your husband and your family – that’s who you need to write about. You go away, just go away.” Now that’s AYOBA!

The league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu came to the defence of Malema in saying the newspaper was being “nonsensical” and asked if it could “rethink” what it was doing [reporting on Malema and auditing his 'luxurious' lifestyle]. “What business is this of yours? How dare you call me and ask for comment on this?” he asked the newspaper at the time.

DA youth league leader Khume Ramulifho told the Star that Malema is said to earn as much as a minister and “that is why he will not go to Parliament or take up any other office.”

Mail & Guardian Online reported that opposition party Freedom Front Plus was going to ask South Africa Revenue Service to “immediately investigate” Malema and his “real contribution” to income tax in recent years, and the ANC Youth League itself. The party’s parliamentary spokesperson Anton Alberts told the newspaper that if reports of Malema’s lifestyle are “correct” – it would only mean he lived “far above his income” and could not claim to be a communist by trying to nationalise the mines, but at the same time “live a capitalist”.

Given Malema’s response yesterday to SABC News that the ANC pays him well more than what the newspaper reported – then it is worth suspecting that he indeed he is being paid well enough to live this “lavishly luxurious” lifestyle. Or that somebody’s lying. And I just hope it is not the Star newspaper report that is lying to us, but Malema himself to the nation.

And this is your Julius Malema. He’s got a very good and expensive taste: look at his cars, the houses and the watch. Damn! As if that’s not enough, he is also very much protected by state security services, quite talkative and that comes with being “well paid”, I think.

I now have come to know and describe Malema as a “Communist Capitalist”. I must confess to not having heard such a name before or rather know of someone being described as such, and therefore, Malema sure as hell must be lucky to have such a name as names do not come easy for politicians in South Africa. This is because if former Heath Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang would still be alive, I would suggest you ask her on the Dr. Beetroot title and how that came about.

And what’s you definition of Malema? You heard mine?

By the way, I see no reason why The ANC and its youth wing would demand a “retraction and an apology from the Star newspaper as Mail & Guardian Online reported.

This, I think, is because someone – both the ANC and the Youth League in this case – has to prove the Star report otherwise by either stating all facts to the editor who will have to publish it – as it is already in the public domain and has generated “public interest” and is probably in the public interest by now – or write a complaint to the Ombudsman where all facts would be revealed.

But until then…

Akanyang Merementsi blogs at Akanyang Africa.