Johannesburg - Expelled ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema seems to have fallen out with his former deputy, Ronald Lamola, with moves afoot to install Malema ally and national executive committee member Abner Mosase as acting president.
Malema’s allies are working behind the scenes to install Mosase at the expense of Lamola, sources said.
They said the move came after Malema fell out with Lamola over the latter’s decision to attend an ANC national executive committee lekgotla in his capacity as acting president, despite the duo having agreed that Lamola would not act in Malema’s former position.
The ANCYL was also quick to deny that it had to postpone a media briefing following its weekend national executive committee meeting because of internal disputes over leadership.
The media briefing was to have been held at noon yesterday at Luthuli House, but was postponed until further notice.
However Mosase said he wasn’t aware of any plans to have him made acting president, adding that the postponement could not have been avoided.
“It was a normal postponement. Colleagues also submitted apologies,” said Mosase.
Two youth league sources said Malema’s allies, led by former National Youth Development Agency chairman Andile Lungisa, wanted the former youth leader’s confidant, ANCYL Limpopo secretary Jacob Lebogo, to take over as acting secretary-general.
The vacancies arose when the ANC’s national disciplinary committee of appeals (NDCA) confirmed the expulsion of Malema and the suspension of the league’s secretary-general, Sindiso Magaqa, earlier this year.
Malema and Lamola are said to have agreed that Malema’s position would not be filled after his sacking to show that the league did not support the NDCA’s decision.
A source said Lungisa had travelled the country lobbying the league’s NEC members to support Mosase and Lebogo.
“They are demanding an urgent NEC meeting. They want Abner Mosase as acting president and they want Kenetswe Mosenogi (ANCYL deputy secretary-general) out.
“They also want Lebogo as acting secretary and Andile Lungisa is leading that process,” said the source.
Youth League spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni-Khawe said the issue had not come up at the weekend and that “faceless and nameless” members were merely sowing divisions.
“The NEC conducted its business. On the first day we had political discussions around issues like Marikana, the Boeremag trial and youth employment. On the second day we discussed the state of the organisation and reports from provinces and their preparations towards Mangaung,” said Sangoni-Khawe. Lamola could not be reached for comment. - The Star