ANC Youth League protest marchers arrived at the Limpopo department of education in Polokwane by noon on Thursday.

Clad in ANC t-shirts, they intended handing a memorandum to education MEC Dickson Masemola demanding textbook delivery to schools in the province.

"Dickson is a betrayer," they sang, holding placards reading: "We demand textbooks".

The march, which was delayed for over an hour, started under heavy police presence at the SABC park. Officers in around 10 vehicles kept watch.

Pupils of the Moruleng and Mohlakaneng secondary schools, in Seshego outside Polokwane, were bussed to the SABC park to join the march.

The pupils, who were not given permission from the schools to attend the march, carried placards with slogans "We demand jobs" and "Administration must release our province".

The league was also marching against the national government placing five Limpopo departments, including education, under administration in December 2011.

Expelled ANCYL president Julius Malema used to go to Mohlakaneng Secondary.

The education department said it was disappointed that ANCYL members were disrupting schooling.

"The department condemns the disruption of schools for political gains," spokesman Pat Kgomo said in a statement.

"We want to urge the principals, school governing bodies and parents to urgently report any disruptions to the law enforcement agency and also appeal to learners to refrain from participating in any event that is not curriculum orientated."

Earlier, Limpopo police said they were ready for the march and expected demonstrators to behave.

"We will not take any nonsense, we are prepared and we don't anticipate any problems," said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

"[We] would like them to behave. If they misbehave, action will be taken against them."

On Thursday morning ANCYL spokesman Nono Mabunda said the league was expecting 3 000 people at the march to the department of education and premier's office.