Motlanthe, who closed the league's 24th national congress in Midrand yesterday, sat through deliberations over congress resolutions at the point when delegates were calling for a resolution that says Mbalula should replace current secretary general Gwede Mantashe at the ANC's elective conference next year.
If taken, the resolution meant that league members would openly start garnering support for Mbalula.
Motlanthe stepped in, cautioning youth league delegates that such a resolution sought to undermine the processes of the ANC - which has instructed that no member of the party should discuss the succession battle.
Motlanthe's intervention also prevented delegates from naming him as their preferred candidate to replace President Jacob Zuma.
Despite his intervention , the l eague passed a resolution to confront the ANC to officially open up the succession debate.
League president Julius Malema argued that the continued restriction imposed on members by the ruling party not to engage in succession debates until it is officially opened by the ANC was potentially damaging to the party.
"We must ensure that the discussion as contained in the declaration is not treated as a plot against a particular leadership but as an honest and frank debate amongst members on how they want to take their organisation forward.
"Time and again members of the ANC and the youth league will discuss their own leaders and they will discuss whether they are happy or not.
"This thing that somebody must wait with a whistle for us to discuss our leadership makes it difficult for the membership to time, when they wish to discuss and evaluate their leadership [and] do so without fear.
"We must be able to talk about our leaders every day of our lives and whether they are delivering on our mandate or not.
"That should not be seen as a motion of no-confidence against the leadership. It must be seen as self-criticism.
"This issue that we can't talk about leaders undermines our capacity to strengthen the ANC including making the leadership aware of what is their weaknesses," Malema said.
Motlanthe's arrival at the congress made it clear that he is the man they want to succeed Zuma.
As he entered the congress hall flanked by ANCYL president Malema, delegates broke into a song punting that Motlanthe would solve their problems as their leader.
Only KwaZulu-Natal sang in favour of Zuma while other provinces were clear that Motlanthe was their future.
The congress has resolved that their NEC should engage the ANC leaders to lift the lid on succession debate.
The ANC NEC in 2009 decided that no succession debate should take place after the youth league started to punt Mbalula to replace Mantashe in 2012.
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