Malema appeared to have won over the South African Minority Rights Equality Movement during an hour-long meeting with its leadership in Pietermaritzburg last night.

Its convener, advocate Ashin Singh, said its executive would decide today, after consulting its 5000 members, whether to drop crimen injuria charges against Malema, but there was consensus at the meeting that it should do so.

"Despite the negative publicity [Malema] seems to attract from the media, we find him on a personal level to be unlike the person portrayed in the press. He was polite, courteous, dignified and won [over] most of our members," Singh said.

Malema referred to Indians as "amakula" (coolies) during a recent speech in Thembelihle, near Lenasia, prompting the minority rights group to lay crimen injuria charges against him on November 4.

Singh said last night that there was a clear indication the youth leader, who initiated yesterday's meeting, had used the term unwittingly, without realising that it would cause Indians offence.

This was echoed by Malema, who said he felt that it was necessary for him to meet the group's leaders after he had heard that charges had been laid against him.

He said he now realised that his use of the term had caused offence.

"But after I was told what it means, I then apologised immediately," Malema said.

Singh also launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of trying to divide South Africans, saying his organisation had attempted - with little success - to engage it over "racist" employment equity legislation due to be passed soon.

"We have seen government spokesman Jimmy Manyi [make] derogatory statements about Indians and coloureds and nothing gets done."

Malema was suspended by the ANC for five years last Thursday for bringing the party into disrepute and sowing divisions.

He is appealing the suspension.