Saturday Star
*Rival ANCYL factions' meetings come at a hefty price**Sibusiso Ngalwa, Political Bureau, Saturday Star, Johannesburg, 5 June 2010*
Infighting in the ANC Youth League is coming at a hefty price, with the league spending almost R2 million on two rival conferences this weekend, and facing a bill of half a million for trashing a hotel last month.
The battleground for Julius Malema's second term next year is literally waged at provincial conferences, with the Eastern Cape the latest battlefield after the Limpopo provincial leadership split the league into two rival gangs.
The Regent Hotel in East London, which hosted the ANCYL's chaotic conference two weeks ago, is demanding R500 000 for damage caused by clashes between pro- and anti-Malema factions.
The conference had to be abandoned after a bomb scare and police fired pepper spray.
But the rival factions refuse to budge on where to hold a rerun, resulting in two conferences starting today in Port Elizabeth and East London respectively.
The conferences aim to elect a provincial leadership, with Malema and his deputy, Andile Lungisa, hoping their sympathisers will win.
The PEC, led by outgoing chairman Mlibo Qhobishiyana, led its branches to Port Elizabeth. Meanwhile, pro-Malema provincial secretary Ayanda Matiti told structures to travel to East London.
The anti-Malema grouping has accused Matiti and the league's national executive committee (NEC) - led by secretary-general Vuyiswa Tulelo - of sparking a repeat of the chaotic conference by granting status to illegitimate members to influence the conference outcome.
Tulelo was not available for comment, while Qhoboshiyana's phone rang unanswered.
The PEC is adamant it is within its powers to call a provincial conference, while the NEC maintains it has the power to preside over such a conference.
The Saturday Star has reliably learnt that money was another factor. A highly placed source said the league had budgeted R1.1m for the second round of the Eastern Cape's conference.
The source claimed taking the conference to Port Elizabeth would cost about R1.8m.
It is not clear who is funding these conferences, amid talk of mysterious funders who have a political interest in the outcome.
The league and Malema were involved in state tenders and other controversial business deals.
Since Malema's election in Bloemfontein in 2008, and subsequent conferences, the league's conferences have been characterised by violence.
There are two parallel youth structures in Limpopo, with the anti-Malema group - which was violently hounded out of a conference - still claiming to be in charge, amid disciplinary threats from Malema.
Malema's leadership has dissolved the PECs of the Western Cape and North West, as his power and influence are facing resistance from within.
The KwaZulu-Natal conference was relatively peaceful, but marred by a tense standoff.
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