Malema camp to fight Zuma over suspension

ANC Youth League leaders are plotting to fight back against President Jacob Zuma in a bid to stave off disciplinary charges that may see Julius Malema suspended from the ruling party.

"There is a debate right now about what should happen," a youth league leader close to the discussions told the Sunday Times yesterday.

"There is a plan that Julius should defy (and not attend the hearing) or go to the disciplinary hearing with the entire membership," the leader said. "We should all be charged. The plan is to isolate him. He was speaking on behalf of the membership (when he made comments about Botswana)."

This morning, youth league leaders will hold an urgent national executive committee meeting in Johannesburg to devise a strategy to defend Malema after he and league spokesman Floyd Shivambu were called to account by Luthuli House for urging "regime change" in Botswana and were charged with "sowing divisions within the ranks" of the ANC.

If found guilty, Malema will have his ANC membership suspended, a move likely to diminish his influence ahead of the ruling party's national conference next year. For Malema and his backers, this would be a serious blow to their campaign to have Zuma removed as party leader and have secretary-general Gwede Mantashe replaced by former league leader Fikile Mbalula, now Minister of Sport.

Last year, Malema was found guilty of similar charges. As part of his plea bargain, he was handed a suspended sentence on condition that he did not commit a similar offence within two years.

"The (disciplinary committee) further ruled that should comrade Malema be found guilty of contravening ... the ANC constitution within the next two years, his membership of the ANC shall be summarily suspended for a period to be determined," read the May 2010 ruling.

The decision to charge Malema had been expected to dominate discussions on the first day of the ruling party's special NEC on Friday. But party bosses refused to have the matter discussed, saying it was now in the hands of the national disciplinary committee headed by the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom.

Instead, it was Zuma's political report that dominated the first day of the four-day meeting.

Zuma chastised NEC members for failing to implement their own decisions on matters of discipline.

"Despite NEC resolutions that action would be taken against transgressors, people continue making unauthorised statements and continue attacking each other in public," he said.

"Again, NEC members decided to ignore their own decision. How, then, can lower structures of the organisation implement such decisions? Other issues relating to discipline is the failure of some NEC members to undertake their duties.

"Some comrades do not avail themselves for deployments when assigned to do so."

Turning to the succession debate ahead of the ANC elective conference next year, Zuma told the meeting that the clamour around the opening of the succession debate was ill-advised.

"We dealt (with the matter) extensively in September 2009 ... we said the problem with opening such debates is that we then stop concentrating on the work before us," said Zuma.

It is understood that some youth league leaders want a tit-for-tat battle with Zuma - calling for the president to be disciplined for South Africa's decision to back the controversial UN Security Council "no-fly zone" resolution over Libya.

Malema has previously attacked Zuma's government for allowing "imperialists" to attack Libya.

Malema's disciplinary hearing will be held on August 30, while Shivambu's will be a day later. Malema's backers in the ANC are also planning to defend the youth leader and want to know who exactly laid the charges.

According to ANC leaders, Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Mantashe led the drive to charge Malema.