Why we all need friends like Julius Malema

I was a little late to the Julius Malema train but trust me to catch on fast enough. And thank God for YouTube, because I finally watched the full passionate speech by the very expressive and brave South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighter’s party leader.

And while his speech, made during Winnie’s funeral, was transformed into memes and social media fun, there was a lot to ponder in his words. He was castigating the people who sold out Winnie Mandela yet were among the mourners who were very sad.

“Big Mama, some of those who sold you to the regime are here and are crying louder than all of us who stood by you,” he said.

Barely a week later, South African media sites reported that he received a death threat.

The candor displayed in his speech and the fierce loyalty for Winnie made me wonder if I could possibly invoke the same level of devotion in the people who hang around me.

Could your friends defend your honour in your absence? Or would they turn their backs on you if you could no longer be of any use to them? Interestingly, we don’t find that out until our chips are down.

Like when you need a little loan to pay a child’s school fees, and while they could pay for two rounds of drinks at the local pub, they do not have any money to help you out in this one.

Sometimes you simply never get to find out, because by the time their true colours show, you are already six-feet-under. And they are trying to take away, from your mourning spouse and children, the little wealth you left on earth.

So take stock of your friends, and stop wasting time dwelling on fake friendships. Instead, love and invest in those that matter.