ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said on Thursday that he and his co-accused did not care about being suspended.
“We are going to be suspended. We do not care. We are not about to be sell outs. We are ready for anything,” Malema said in Bloemfontein in the Free State, where an African National Congress national executive committee (NEC) was starting on Friday.
Malema and five other youth leaders were suspended by the ruling party two weeks after being found guilty of sowing divisions within the ANC and bringing the party into disrepute.
Their deadline to appeal the suspension ends midnight on Thursday.
If Malema did not appeal, he would not be allowed to attend the NEC meeting.
Earlier, ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said no appeal papers had been filed yet, despite unsourced news reports to the contrary.
ANCYL spokeswoman Magdalene Moonsamy told Sapa earlier on Thursday that the youth leaders would lodge an appeal but would not say when it would happen.
Malema, ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu, deputy president Ronald Lamola, treasurer general Pule Mabe, secretary general Sindiso Magaqa and deputy secretary general Kenetswe Mosenogi were sanctioned by the ANC's national disciplinary committee two weeks ago.
Malema was given a five-year suspension and was told to vacate his position as president, and Shivambu was suspended for three years and was also told to vacate his post.
The ANC membership of the other four leaders was suspended for two years, with the sanction itself suspended for three years. - Sapa