#FirstThingsFirst - Uproar over Malema being denied Visa to the UK

The leader of the EFF, Julius Malema, has voiced his frustration after being denied a visa to attend the upcoming Cambridge Conference in the United Kingdom this weekend. In a post to his X account on Wednesday, Malema alleged that the refusal was not only unjustified but also an attempt to stifle dissenting political voices. British High Commissioner Antony Phillipson issued a statement, saying “colleagues at the UK home office have said that they will regrettably be unable to process the application in time owing to the necessary steps required to consider visa applications and the unfortunate timing of some recent UK bank holidays”. Who do you believe between the two, the British High Commission attributing the rejection to timing issues? Or was it deliberate for Malema's Visa to be declined, as he claims?