Business Day
*Malema tries to cling to post, discredit hearing* *Sibongakonke Shoba, Business Day, Johannesburg, 17 November 2011*A DEFIANT Julius Malema yesterday launched a desperate campaign to remain leader of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League by trying to discredit the disciplinary process that suspended his party membership for five years.
Mr Malema is fighting for his political survival as the sentence he received last week could cast him in to the political wilderness. If his appeal fails, he will have no access to ANC structures until he has served the full sentence.
This could make it difficult for him to continue mobilising for the adoption of the league's radical policy proposals and its campaign for leadership change at the ANC.
Youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu is appealing against his three-year suspension from the ANC while four other league officials want their suspended sentences to be reversed.
Mr Malema told a press conference yesterday that ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe had made public statements before the disciplinary hearing which proved that he had agitated for the outcome and sentences.
He also took issue with national disciplinary committee chairman Derek Hanekom , saying his conduct during the hearing was "impatient and dismissive".
He said this confirmed the league was right to request that Mr Hanekom, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane recuse themselves.
"The possibility that these members used the disciplinary committee to settle political scores and suppress dissent is very high," Mr Malema said.
He said the disciplinary process was unfair because he and his fellow league leaders had not been given an opportunity to present mitigating circumstances.
Mr Malema's appeal is also based on his belief that the top six officials of the ANC were not a constitutional body which had the right to lay charges.
The youth league also accused the ANC of not being consistent in applying discipline, because it had not charged leaders who had addressed meetings under the influence of alcohol or those arrested for offences such as drunk driving.
Mr Malema said the national disciplinary committee relied on an old constitution of the league, which stated that ANC discipline applied to the league. The constitution was amended at the league's conference in June, which meant that the sentence from the ANC was not binding on its leaders.
However, the "amended" constitution was put up on the league website only yesterday, whereas all other documents were uploaded in June.
Mr Malema called for a political solution to the suspensions, and warned that such sentences could "disintegrate" the ANC.
The ANC yesterday rejected all the allegations made by the league. "We find it very unfortunate that they have chosen to cast doubt on the national disciplinary committee, the process of the committee and the outcome thereof," party spokesman Jackson Mthembu said.
The youth league has until next Thursday to lodge its appeal. [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> *From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=158860* ** ** ** * *** -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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