By Stanley Gama and Moshoeshoe Monare
Julius Malema has caused ructions in Zimbabwe's ruling party, while Botswana's President Ian Khama believes the "ill-disciplined boy" is responsible for factionalism in his party.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the majority of Zanu-PF's senior leaders have attacked their party chairman, Simon Moyo, for dismissing Malema's influence.
Moyo, former ambassador to South Africa, was told that he misread the power struggle in the ANC during the succession battle of 2007.
Zanu-PF leaders apparently told ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe that he was making a mistake for charging Malema.
Meanwhile, Mmegi newspaper in Botswana reports that Khama said Malema was "ill-disciplined" and "I was wondering why they do not take action against him".
A Botswana councillor had mentioned that a rebellious faction in Khama's ruling party has befriended Malema.
The ANC youth leader had visited Botswana earlier this year during ructions in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party. He told a rally that the country needed a strong leader, a statement which was viewed as an attack on Khama, sparking a diplomatic grudge.
Meanwhile, the South African ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mlungisi Makalima, has sent a communique to President Jacob Zuma at the ANC, alerting him to Harare media reports regarding Zanu-PF's support of Malema.
Zanu-PF's politburo - a powerful senior organ - clashed last week on whether or not it was advisable to support Malema publicly.
During his visit to Harare, Malema controversially hailed Zanu-PF and condemned the MDC, a co-governing party that opposed Mugabe.
As a result, Malema was dragged before an ANC disciplinary committee for compromising Zuma's role as a facilitator in the political conflict between Zanu-PF and MDC. But the charge was subsequently dropped.
A Luthuli House insider confirmed yesterday that the Zanu-PF Youth Brigade had initially proposed to support Malema during the disciplinary hearing, but the matter was deferred to the mother body's politburo.
Zanu-PF Women's League chairperson Oppah Muchinguri suggested the party should issue a statement in support of Malema.
But Moyo reportedly shot her down, saying Malema was irrelevant in the ANC's politics. Instead Moyo was reportedly very complimentary of Mantashe - Malema's rival.
Moyo also said that supporting Malema would undermine relations between Zanu-PF and ANC, which are already strained.
"Having spent many years as the Zimbabwe ambassador in South Africa, Moyo was trying to speak with authority and was trying to avoid worsening relations between ANC and Zanu-PF, but he was fiercely opposed by other members," a Zanu-PF politburo source said.
Moyo was reportedly attacked by the likes of Saviour Kasukuwere, Sydney Sekeramayi, Stan Mudenge and Obert Mpofu who sided with Muchinguri.
"The general feeling was that indeed Malema needed to be supported because he was brave enough to support Zanu-PF and President Mugabe knowing fully well most people in ANC were opposed to us," said one insider.
Kasukuwere, who was instrumental in bringing Malema to Zimbabwe, felt insulted by Moyo.
He bluntly told him he did not really understand ANC politics as he failed to see Thabo Mbeki would lose the ANC leadership to Zuma at the ANC conference in 2007.
Mudenge, another senior politburo member, is said to have also attacked Moyo's praise of Mantashe.
The Zanu-PF chairman was reminded that during the recent meeting of liberation movements in Tanzania, Mantashe viciously attacked Mugabe.
Mantashe was deported from Zimbabwe four years ago as part of Cosatu delegation. But he was subsequently received in Harare when he visited the country with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in 2008 as part of an ANC delegation.