ANDISIWE MAKINANA
Political Bureau
PROTEST marches, declaring deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe its preferred candidate to lead the ANC after 2012 and mobilising all provinces to voice their support for Julius Malema are some of the tactics the ANC Youth League is believed to have decided on in defiance of the ANC’s decision to charge Malema and his close ally, Floyd Shivambu.
An ANCYL member who was part of yesterday’s specially convened meeting of the league’s national executive, who did not want to be named, said all the league’s provincial executive committees would “convene” tomorrow and “pronounce against the ANC decision”.
Countrywide protest marches to ANC offices are planned for August 30 and 31, the dates set for Malema and Shivambu’s hearings.
Protesters will be demanding the name or names of the complainant or complainants who laid the charges against the two.
The member said the league would also name Motlanthe as its preferred candidate to lead the ANC.
The source said Malema was “very excited” when he addressed yesterday’s meeting, revealing that a number of senior ANC members were on the league’s side and were “helping them”.
“In his excitement, he blurted the names of two ANC NEC members who are among those helping the league,” said the source.
The ANC Youth League is rallying behind its leaders, who are facing disciplinary charges and possible suspension from the ANC.
The league said yesterday it was seeking an urgent meeting with the ANC leadership to discuss the charges against Malema and Shivambu.
In a statement, the league said it was “convinced that the issues contained in the charges are political issues”, which required discussion in the structures of the ANC.
It said some of the issues could have been discussed before the charges were laid against the league’s leadership.
While the league would subject itself to the discipline and policies of the mother body, it also reaffirmed its determination to fight “tirelessly and fearlessly” for its signature policies of economic freedom in our lifetime, nationalisation of mines, expropriation of land without compensation and provision of free quality education for all.
The ANC did not respond to requests for comment on the league’s statement.
Emerging from the day-long meeting just after 7pm, Eastern Cape provincial secretary Mzonke Ndabeni refused to discuss his province’s views on the charges but said the decisions taken at the meeting would be communicated to youth league structures and the media today.
The Cape Argus drew a similar response from Western Cape youth league co-ordinator Senzeni Mphila, who said they would first communicate decisions to relevant league structures and then at a press conference today.
On Friday, the ANC charged Malema and Shivambu with various violations of the ANC constitution, including bringing the party into disrepute through their statements on Botswana, and sowing divisions in the ranks of the ANC.
The duo will face the party’s national disciplinary committee in separate hearings scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Yesterday, there were claims by some in the league that the entire top five leadership had been charged by the disciplinary committee.
But ANC spokesman Keith Khoza dismissed the allegations last night, saying he had no knowledge of charges being brought against any other people.
Malema is still subject to a suspended sentence, still valid for eight months, that if imposed will lead to his mandatory suspension from the ANC.
This was after he pleaded guilty to undermining President Jacob Zuma last year.
He was warned not to commit a similar offence for two years or his ANC membership would be suspended.
He was also fined R10 000, ordered to attend political education at the party school for almost three weeks, and to attend anger management classes under the supervision of ANC officials.
But the league released a statement last month saying it was planning to establish a task team to mobilise opposition parties to topple the “puppet regime” in Botswana, seriously embarrassing the ANC and Zuma.
The league later withdrew the statement but the ANC charged Malema and Shivambu on Friday.