Ever been angry at a South African politician? Well, a man on the streets is offering to ‘moer’ EFF leader Julius Malema for R20 per hit.
We’ve seen many different cardboard sign pledges in South Africa. I recall once seeing a sign in Gauteng that Pretoria locals might recall – the man who claimed his wife was ‘kidnapped by ninjas’ and needed cash to fight his enemies (Simon Leviev anyone?) writes Cape {town} Etc’s Ashleigh Nefdt. Now, the recent ‘viral’ fascination is a man vowing to hit Julius Malema for roughly the same price as a 2l coke. The sign reportedly stands at the intersection of Madiba Drive and Knysna Road in George.
Creative, funny, angry or saddening? Perhaps all of the aforementioned. Some people on social media found the pledge mostly humorous and creative after it was shared on TikTok by @nikki_lekker_in_george. Julius Malema is not everyone’s radical cup of tea after all. And Juju receiving a mighty blow from a struggling man? The idea incited a few laughs for some. Julius himself reshared the image on Twitter with a mere shrugging emoji. People shared their views on Twitter:
“And they say Malema can’t create jobs,” – @Julius_S_Malema
“Did you get the job?” – @Kholofelokim
“This is the entrepreneurial ingenious content I’ve signed up for,” – @djslugs_za
“Don’t stop, give him R50 or more next time” – @princemduthusi
“He’s probably a millionaire now…” – @Julius_S_Malema
However, the picture still induced a sad feeling for others. Perhaps it is the principle of having to beg in general, although some locals have expressed that the begging culture in South Africa has ‘numbed their empathy’.
Also Read: “Begging in Cape Town has numbed my empathy” says local woman
Some users also took a saddened approach.
“This is not funny, he’s doing this [because] he has no means to earn a living, I find it sad that all he’s asking for is R20 bucks, how many [people] are willing to commit a crime for a mere r20 and we chant slogans instead of uplifting the forgotten,” wrote @dave_ramatlo.
My mind goes to the man who once held up a sign that said ‘Will take verbal abuse for R20’. That man’s name is Lusindiso, and there’s actually an entire short documentary on his story made by upliftment-focused Quest Films that you can watch here.
Also read:
Woman finds it discouraging that Capetonians seem to be ‘not interested’ in meeting new people
Picture: @nikki_lekker_in_george | TikTok
