The run-up to the local government elections took another dirty turn Thursday when the ANC Youth League's website was hacked and a doctored picture of Julius Malema, shown as a puppet on strings in the hands of President Jacob Zuma, was posted on its home page.
A copy of Malema's matric results was also posted on the website.
The site crashed shortly after the hacking. It was rebooted but displayed error messages. It was operational again by about 6pm.
League spokesman Floyd Shivambu could not be reached last night.
This is the second attack on the league's website in two months.
In March, a hacker posted a fake statement saying: "After much thought I, Julius Malema, have decided to step down as ANC Youth League president."
The ANC's website was hacked in April.
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