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Like any public, the South African politician Julius Malema knows how to create excitement: make your audience wait, then tell him what he wants.
For two long hours, her supporters were flogged with revolutionary slogans, catchy music and warm-up speeches in a crowded stadium of Alexandra township in Johannesburg.
Finally, their leader appeared, coming out of a German limousine and taking a lap of honor around the venue of the event, intoning the roars of approvals flowing from the stands.
"En route to victory in 2019 – ahead," chanted the crowd before the parliamentary elections on Wednesday.
Malema, the so-called "commander-in-chief" of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), wore the party's red beret and was surrounded by a phalanx of bodyguards known as "defenders of the revolution." ".
The radical left EFF, the third largest party in South Africa, hopes to achieve important results if the ruling African National Congress (ANC) pays the price of a deep disillusionment of the population with the delays in the Eradication of poverty since the end of apartheid in 1994.
"He's the only one to feel our pain, he's the only one helping the people," said Steven Chauke, 58, a local man who has been unemployed for 16 years.
"Over the past 25 years, the ANC has never worked for the people, but for itself – it's him who will release us."
A week before the elections, Malema chose to hold its May Day rally in friendly territory.
Increasing strength
Alexandra, nicknamed "Alex" by the local population, is a congested and poverty-stricken district, close to the contrasting richness of Sandton's financial district in Johannesburg.
He suffered greatly from the failures of the ANC regime: mbadive unemployment, nonexistent public services, crime and corruption.
These problems allowed Malema, who was once a youth leader of the ANC, to form his own party in 2013 and integrate it in a few years to a growing force within Southeast Asian politics. African.
"Alex is the home of the EFF, the house of the poor," he told the crowd. "Do not go to decorated places … Alex is what South Africa looks like.
"Today, Alex says," Enough is enough "."
In the stands, Kukie Ijeo, 47, of Hillbrow – another of Johannesburg's most difficult districts – interpreted Malema's speech.
"We have nothing, we need jobs, we need houses, we need water, electricity, land, education", has she said.
"We just want everything that is promised in our constitution (post-apartheid) – but nothing has changed yet."
Malema relentlessly targets ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, because of the country's economic tribulations, numerous corruption scandals of the ruling party and Ramaphosa's alleged preference for the country's white minority, which still holds the essential of wealth.
The flagship policy of the EFF is to seize the largely white land of owners – individuals and businesses – to give them to poor blacks.
"We need to expropriate land without compensation and give it to the inhabitants of Alexandra so that they build their own homes.Share the wealth of South Africa," said Malema at the rally.
Reverse racism?
"Let's build a strong foundation for an African child so that he will grow up without fear of a white counterpart," he said, addressing the inflammatory topic of race relations in South Africa.
"I have no problem with whites, I have a problem with their special treatment," he told AFP during the campaign, dismissing accusations of anti-white racism .
"No white man will be killed or beaten under a EFF government, it will never happen, but they will have to get off their big horse," he said.
Malema's approach seems to work because it creates support among the young and the poor.
The EFF won 8% of the national municipal elections in 2016 and polls suggest that it could win between 10% and 15% of the vote in the general vote on May 8th.
Malema, barely 38, sees himself as the next president of South Africa, though badysts doubt it.
"The EFF will do well, about 10%, maybe above," said Frans Cronje, director of the Institute of Race Relations.
"But they can not get much more than that because the majority of this country is conservative moderate."
All black South Africans are not sold on the fiery rhetoric and extravagant promises of Malema.
"He's like all politicians," Respect Nethananai, a 34-year-old resident of Alexandra, grumbled. "He just wants power."
Malema does not seem to want to temper his speech, even though he has been brought to court for hate speech – claiming that his party would not demand the killing of whites "at least for the moment".
In a provocative way, he ended his May Day speech by singing the anti-apartheid song "Kill the Boer (Farmer)", which had thrown him into legal trouble.
But he changed the lyrics to "Kiss the Boer" – a joke that caused immense pleasure from his loyal followers.
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