The stage was set. The amp was dialled up to 10. The back-up dancers wiggled and jiggled. But the crowd that gathered outside the East London magistrate’s court on Wednesday to hear all the old bangers plus a few new ones had to face the depressing truth: the band isn’t getting back together, and Julius Malema’s solo career is a snooze-fest.
It should have been a concert for the ages, as Malema, convicted of the crime of firing an assault rifle in public, now faces jail time. The mosh pit should have been a sea of red, all head-banging away to all their old favourites. Political prosecution! White judges and journalists! Asijiki! Hands off the Commander In Chief, hands off!
To be fair, if the footage the EFF posted to X is any measure, the front few rows tried to get into it. But further back the faces were more curious or bored than euphoric; sometime-listeners who’d thrown on a red T-shirt and wandered down to have a look, rather than the die-hard super-fans in their expensive EFF merch. No wonder the overwhelming majority of the stills posted online were of what remains of the EFF’s leadership, up on the stage, rather than the sort of crowd you’d expect for a midweek matinee by a tribute band.
On X, the response was equally tepid, with one post capturing it best: “The vibe is gone.”
I mean, if Malema can’t even bring a city block in East London to a standstill with an actual conviction by an actual judge, it might be time to start doing Ed Sheeran covers in a hotel lobby.
Has it ever. The Gleesome Threesome of Malema, Floyd Shivambu and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is over, and the further away it recedes, the more it starts looking like an awful lot of the music and lyrics were supplied by Shivambu and Ndlozi. I mean, if Malema can’t even bring a city block in East London to a standstill with an actual conviction by an actual judge, it might be time to start doing Ed Sheeran covers in a hotel lobby.
Then again, wasn’t this inevitable for a party that only ever supplied vibes and financial independence for Malema? Mess with the recipe of the fairy dust and people are bound to start sobering up.
Of course, Malema is now an extremely experienced hustler and a part of him must be hoping that, if he does do a short stint in Club Fed, it will jolt some new energy into his flatlining career.
After this week’s damp squib in East London, however, it looks like hope is all Malema has left.
The vibe is gone, and while the EFF might limp along after the local government elections, the Political Artist Formerly Known As Charismatic will have to accept that his set is done and they’ve started turning out the lights …
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