TOM EATON | Whether it’s Malema or Trump who belongs in jail, money talks

This week AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel triggered a lot of donations, sorry, I mean a lot of outrage when he tweeted that Julius Malema “belongs in jail” because the EFF is a “racketeering enterprise”.

But given AfriForum’s own publicly stated admiration for and support of a certain high-profile criminal, perhaps it’s worth taking a moment to try to make sense of the logic here.

For those who, like me, can’t shake the suspicion that “racketeering” must have something to do with Wimbledon, the dictionary tells me that it is, in fact, a blanket description for dodgy, money-making dealings, from money laundering to obstructing justice in order to make a quick and dirty buck.

And this week, as Malema was named at the Madlanga commission, accused of allegedly trying to protect allegedly dirty senior cops while allegedly having others removed, Kriel wasn’t holding back, appointing himself judge and jury as he retweeted News24 and IOL reports with the comment: “This confirms yet again that @julius_s_malema belongs in jail and the EFF is, in @afriforum’s view, a racketeering enterprise.”

Of course, to be fair to Kriel, if Malema has used his power to subvert or derail law enforcement for his own personal gain, he must be charged and tried on the evidence.

There’s also the matter of competition: South Africa is a small country and there’s really only enough space for one group of hustlers using emotive, racially charged language to make money.

In the last few weeks evidence has also emerged that Trump might have been guilty of insider trading, buying millions of dollars’ worth of stocks hours before announcing a relaxing of his tariffs and sending stock markets soaring.

Still, Kriel’s criticism opens up a tricky can of logical and political worms.

As far as I can tell, Kriel and AfriForum object to Malema’s continued presence in politics and society in general based on the fact that they consider him to be a criminal. Fair enough.

And yet even as Kriel takes this stand, pinning his colours firmly to the mast of law and order, he and AfriForum continue their sweaty courtship of Donald Trump, a convicted rapist and fraudster.

In the last few weeks evidence has also emerged that Trump might have been guilty of insider trading, buying millions of dollars’ worth of stocks hours before announcing a relaxing of his tariffs and sending stock markets soaring.

While this third crime hasn’t yet been investigated, the first two are matters of law. Trump is a convicted criminal.

So how does AfriForum explain its double standard? Why should Malema be in prison for being an alleged racketeer while Trump should stay out of prison despite being a convicted rapist? Does AfriForum believe that rape is a lesser crime than racketeering? If it does, could it please publish a list of offences it thinks should result in prison sentences, and those which should be rewarded with the presidency of the United States and lots of leg-humping by AfriForum?

Of course, there’s a simpler explanation: money.

Malema will never put Kriel and AfriForum in touch with millions and millions of dollars from Republican donors. Trump will, as long as he’s not in prison.

I’m sure Kriel and AfriForum believe in law and order. But even law and order can’t trump the golden rule: that he who has the gold makes the rules, and those who want the gold will ditch any number of logical or ethical principles to get close to it.