ANCYL leader Julius Malema does not have a personal relationship with President Jacob Zuma and does not want one, he said on Monday ahead of his disciplinary hearing.
“I've never had a relationship with the president of the ANC personally,” Malema told reporters in the foyer of ANC headquarters in Johannesburg.
“My relationship with the president of the ANC has always been organisational, and that's how we continue to relate... there is no bad blood.”
Malema would appear before the ANC's disciplinary committee on Tuesday and his spokesman Floyd Shivambu on Wednesday. League deputy president Ronald Lamola, secretary general Sindiso Magaqa, his deputy Kenetswe Mosenogi and treasurer general Pule Mabe were expected to appear before the committee later in the week.
The charges include bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions in ANC ranks.
Malema recently said the ANCYL would send a team to Botswana to consolidate local opposition parties and help bring about regime change, as it believed the government there was “in full co-operation with imperialists” and undermining the “African agenda”.
The ANC publicly rebuked the league, which then apologised.
Malema said senior advocate and ANC member Patric Mtshaulana
would represent him at the disciplinary hearing.
Reports he had approached ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe and ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa to represent the youth league leaders were false, he said.
Phosa had endured a “huge attack” for representing Malema during his disciplinary hearing last year, and the league did not want to put him through that again, Malema said.
“We felt we needed to save this leadership and avoid putting them through another painful process. If you are about to go down you don't have to go down with everybody.
“Reliable forces of the revolution must remain and continue with the struggle. It is sometimes very unstrategic to take all forces into a battlefield and there is nobody left if you get killed.”
ANC officials met on Monday to discuss processes relating to the disciplinary hearing and standing traditions, secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said in a statement.
“They further re-affirmed that any person going through the disciplinary process itself of the African National Congress, must subject himself or herself to such a process, and any issues or matters that relate to the process must be submitted to the disciplinary process,” he said.
Malema said the youth league was taking responsibility for its actions.
“We are prepared for anything... we've always said the ANC is in charge of our future and if the ANC defines your future as expulsion, you need to accept that is the fate the movement has decided for you.”
Even if the leadership was dissolved the league's resolutions on nationalisation and expropriation without compensation would not change, said Malema.
“This leadership has taken decisions, the congress has resolved on these issues. Whether you expel us or don't expel us, these resolutions will never change... like it or not we defeated you... we resolved on nationalisation and we won conference fair and square.”
Malema said the league's national office had not asked its provincial branches to send supporters to Johannesburg.
“We are not bussing people in. Those who come to pledge support should do so with restraint and show maximum levels of discipline,” said Malema.
“Peace and unity should prevail until the conclusion. We are disciplined members of the organisation (ANC) and respect the leadership.”
On Monday afternoon there was still no sign of ANCYL supporters outside Luthuli House. Gauteng police said they were prepared for any eventuality. -
Sapa