Abstract
Julius Malema’s political role in the democratic South Africa should not be despised or underestimated, as his political career overlapped with those of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, both former presidents of South Africa. Notably, Malema played the role of Kingmaker for Zuma after effectively dethroning Mbeki from the presidency. Loved by some and hated by others, Julius Malema has transformed the political landscape of South Africa, whether deliberately or not. The youth hold Julius Malema and the ideologies that he stands for in high regard and this has become more evident with the increased popularity and infiltration of the Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Student Command in South African institutions of higher education (IHE). Julius Malema has been commanded for forcing South Africa to address the elephant in the room, that is, white privilege and the continued inequality, which divides South Africans along economic class and racial lines. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of Julius Malema’s leadership style on the aspirations of the South African youth by raising its awareness on the social realities and by encouraging youth participation. The study focused on the South African youth and the political context that birthed Julius Malema and his ideologies or stance. It seems the socio-economic challenges facing South Africa, as a stumbling block to the aspirations of the youth, have made the leader that Julius Malema represents. This aspirations are evident through the issues that he continues to raise and seeks to address even through his political party’s manifesto. The study used individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups as data collection methods. Thematic analysis was used for data interpretation and analysis. The main findings were that Julius Malema’s practices were a combination of transformational and authoritarian leadership styles, which have led to a higher level of consciousness and, by way of implication, a sense of responsibility in the youth to participate in discussions and actions on the issues affecting the country...