EFF's terror tactics forfeit sympathy for a good cause

The EFF and its excitable leader Julius Malema vowed this week to shut down Clicks stores countrywide in reaction to the pharmacy chain's racist hair adverts on its website. He was true to his word, and TV newsreels all week were dominated by scenes of "fighters" in red overalls smashing storefronts, intimidating would-be customers and shoving around a female TV reporter who stood her ground, becoming a lone beacon of fortitude and resoluteness in a week of flip-flops, blaming low-ranked employees, cringing apologies and promises to do better next time. Not even a court interdict could restore calm.