Spit & Polish : 31 July

Is Malema a dictator-in-waiting or a pawn being moved by a hidden hand?

At the recent Sunday Times Literary Awards, comedian Loyiso Gola had the posh literati in stitches with his sharp satire of the ANC panjandrums. Many of his jokes referred to Julius Malema, largely because Malema is currently the media's darling, but one joke in particular got the biggest laugh.

Gola joked about how Malema would respond if the Chinese government gave this country a couple of panda bears as a gesture of goodwill.

He then imitated Malema in full spate, singing the praises of China.

But when it came to the bears themselves, he said the animals would be welcome in South Africa, but that we should remember only to admire the black parts of the panda, but not the white bits.

It was a funny joke, but it reminded me of just how present and powerful Malema has become in the mind of the public. His new, grand home became headline news around the nation and it put him in the spotlight again, just adding to his huge media status.

He is an interesting paradox. He calls for the repatriation of the land; he waxes indignant about poverty and homelessness, yet - as various reports have shown - he has started re-building his new home in Sandown Estate, at a price of R16-million.

That's a lot of money, even in Joburg, where trash-flash opulence is the order of the day. Ex-realtor Wendy Machanik recently saw her ultra-luxurious home sold for R7.8 million. Malema's property is priced at twice that much and off-the-record reports say that two floors will be underground, for security, garaging and a wine cellar, and there will be two floors above ground, in the very grandest style.

The cost of the house has been of less interest than the source of the money that will pay for it.

Meanwhile I, for one, am tired of reading about Malema's extravagant lifestyle, so I am developing a theory about him.

He certainly does not go to work on a daily basis. So who is providing him with this cloak of invisibility?

His secrecy is a crucial part of his political strategy. He is establishing himself as an icon rather than a man. He is not going to stop because he knows he can get away with it. He wants to achieve high office, but shuns responsibility and, like it or not, he seems to be winning, despite a huge sense of public indignation and unease about his intentions.

What really interests me about him, is that he does not give an inch. Politicians of all stripes work the media to maintain their image as "men and women of the people". On Nelson Mandela's birthday, the mayors, the politicians and the ANC heavies took the streets - with their entourages and their photographers - to hug children, clean rubbish sites and to do good deeds.

I did not see Julius doing much, but I think that is part of his political strategy. Traditional politicians strive to be seen as "a man (or woman) of the people", South African like everyone else. They just happen to earn high wages, with perks thrown in.

Julius doesn't do that. He's building a more monolithic edifice, a public image of himself that will engender the sense that he is truly a glorious leader-in-waiting who can re-energise the ANC and restore its revolutionary drive.

Ancient cultures understood the power of aloof leaders. Egyptian pharaohs built vast monuments to create a sense of awe, while carefully staying away from being in touch with the real people under their rule.

The Romans did it too, and centuries later Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin and Mao Zedong used iconography - political murals, flags and pamphlets - that told their nation, every day, who was in charge.

I think Julius Malema is doing something similar. He does not want to be a "man of the people". He wants to be the "leader of the people" and he's managing his publicity superbly.

His new house, with it's subterranean rooms and opulent appointments, casts a kind of spell. You can disapprove as much as you like, but for people who live in appalling conditions, there is comfort in the sight of him living in a palace and promising to give them land and houses that will, he says, be seized from those who do not deserve them.

That's a potent revolutionary strategy but how real is it?

Is he a dictator-in-waiting? Or a colourful pawn being moved by a hidden hand?

Either way, he has the attention of the media and the country, and attention at that level is truly lightning in a bottle.