Malema's hearing not to be politicised

The censuring of ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was "purely" a disciplinary matter and should not be politicised, says the ANC.

Spokesman Jackson Mthembu stressed that the charges were not born of a "witch-hunt" by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe against Malema and that the matter had not divided the ANC.

"It is very unfortunate that names of very outstanding leaders of the ANC have been dragged in an attempt to make this purely misconduct issue a political one.

"Officials and all leaders of the ANC fully understand their responsibilities and are united in uprooting any form of ill-discipline within the ranks of the ANC," he said in a statement.

He said the disciplinary proceedings were initiated by Mantashe in terms of the ANC's constitution.

"The ANC Secretary General, as empowered by the constitution has indeed initiated disciplinary processes on suspected deviant behaviour on the part of comrade Julius Malema."

The process was now with the national disciplinary committee (NDC), reportedly headed by national executive committee (NEC) member Derek Hanekom, which has asked Malema to answer to the charges against him. He is reportedly set to do so on May 3.

"Comrade Malema remains innocent of any of the charges levelled against him until they are proven.

"The disciplinary hearing will obviously lead evidence on the charges levelled, and Comrade Malema and his defence will be able to refute such evidence and even bring his own evidence in defence."

The statement follows a report in the Mail&Guardian in which youth league members blame Mantashe for their president's woes.

They accuse him of driving the charges due to the Malema-led push for deputy police minister, Fikile Mbalula, to replace Mantashe at the party's elective conference in 2012.

Mthembu denied that there was an ulterior motive to censuring Malema, describing claims that it was his leadership preferences that landed him in hot water as "wild".

"If indeed there are any interpretations or allegations of political witch-hunt against comrade Malema for whatever reason, such evidence for such political witch-hunt will then be put by himself and his defence to the hearing.

"It will be for the NDC to make their own informed decision regarding any evidence before it."

He charged that those who were politicising the matter had "missed the point".

Mthembu added that the disciplinary proceedings had not divided the party.

"... The NDC cannot be used for any political agenda or witch-hunt because whatever disciplinary proceedings against a member shall be confined to the violations of the ANC constitution, rules and regulations, standing orders, codes of conduct, and the policies and decisions of the ANC," he said, quoting the ANC's constitution.

"Our Constitution further states that 'disciplinary proceedings shall not be used as a means of stifling debate or denying members their basic democratic right or be instituted as a means of solving private problems or as a means of interfering in the private lives of members where the norms of the organisations are not directly affected, unless such conduct itself constitutes a violation or an offence affecting the organisation'."

The ANC's officials would respond to the call made by the ANCYL for charges against its president to be dropped, in line with the ANC's constitution, Mthembu added.

The ANC's deputy secretary general Thandi Modise on Tuesday confirmed that the party would act against Malema for a string of perceived faux pas. This followed a meeting between the party's officials and the ANCYL. Mantashe was reportedly absent from this meeting.

Modise's confirmation came just over a week after Malema was publicly chastised by President Jacob Zuma for behaviour seen as "alien" to the ANC.

Malema had publicly endorsed Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF and President Robert Mugabe while Zuma was negotiating an end to an impasse in that country's fragile power sharing agreement between three political parties.

Malema sang "shoot the boer" after the party's top six officials called on its members to be "circumspect" due to the volatile political environment and he booted a BBC journalist out of a media briefing and called him a "bastard" and an "agent".