The question loomed large yesterday as embattled youth leader Julius Malema confirmed that he would appeal his recent suspension by the ANC for sowing disunity and bringing the ruling party into disrepute.

Malema argues that he is the victim of a political witch-hunt by powerful opponents in the ruling party who want to derail his campaign to nationalise the mines and seize white-owned land.

He and five other suspended youth league leaders will now take their appeal to the ANC's national disciplinary committee of appeals, chaired by party stalwart and businessman Cyril Ramaphosa.

If that fails, Malema, who has warned "the enemy" (read President Jacob Zuma and his supporters) that the "gloves are off", will no doubt seek to persuade the ruling party's national executive committee to order the disciplinary committee to review its decision, or even to put the youth league leader's future to the vote at the party's elective conference in Mangaung next December.

This last scenario would be a disaster for Zuma - and arguably for our development agenda. Four years ago, work at some state departments ground to a virtual halt as officials from rival ANC factions fought it out in the run-up to the party's Polokwane conference, which was the beginning of the end for then president Thabo Mbeki.

The problems that the country faces - massive unemployment, a yawning wealth gap and an economy that is proving unable to create jobs in meaningful numbers, to name a few - require a functioning and focused state.

It is incumbent on the ANC leadership not to allow the national agenda to be hijacked by a poorly educated populist whose economic "policies" were discredited decades ago.