Johannesburg - The African National Congress welcomes and respects the findings of its national disciplinary committee against the party’s Youth League leaders, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“We call on our members and those of our leagues to respect this decision,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
The party's national disciplinary committee (NDC) expelled Youth League leader Julius Malema from the ANC and the League. Malema could appeal to the NDC of appeals against this sanction within 14 days.
He was found guilty of portraying the ANC government and its leadership under President Jacob Zuma in a negative light, and for making statements on bringing about regime change in Botswana, at an ANC Youth League press conference on July 31, 2011.
“In the view of the NDC, comrade Malema's misconduct of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing division within its ranks is very serious.
“The ANC constitution demands that discipline be enforced without exception. The cumulative effect of comrade Malema's past and present offences, coupled with his own evidence of lack of remorse and disrespect for the ANC constitution and its structures, particularly the NDCA, has left no room for the NDC to consider his misconduct as anything but extremely serious.”
The ANC believed Malema was not prepared to accept the findings of the disciplinary process.
“With regard to comrade Malema's plea not to have his membership taken away, the NDC believes that any period of suspension imposed as a sanction would not, as the complainant's representative submitted, achieve the purpose of rehabilitating the comrade,” the NDC said.
ANCYL secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa's membership was suspended for three years. Magaqa accused Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba, who is also an ANC national executive committee member, of “pleasing imperialists” when he said the nationalisation debate was hurting foreign investment in South Africa.
This sanction was suspended for three years, but would come into effect if he didn't apologise to Gigaba.
League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu's membership was suspended for three years. He was found guilty of swearing at a journalist and for issuing a statement on bringing about regime change in Botswana.
“This sanction is applicable to comrade Shivambu's membership of the ANC Youth League. Consequently, he shall vacate his position as a member of the national executive committee of the ANC Youth League.”
He could appeal this sanction within 14 days. - Sapa