ANC NEC meeting kicks off

The ANC's national executive committee meeting started in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) on Friday.

This was its last NEC meeting for the year, ANC spokesman Keith Khoza said.

The committee was going through presentations on Friday afternoon.

The four-day meeting would deal with issues relating to the party's readiness for its centenary celebrations next year, organisational work, next year's policy conference and the programme for the year.

It was being held in Mangaung because this was the location for the ANC's main centenary celebration in January and for the party's elective conference at the end of the year.

Suspended ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was attending the meeting, said Khoza.

On Thursday, he said Malema would attend the NEC meeting only if he had submitted an appeals application to the national appeal committee by midnight on Thursday.

It was confirmed on Friday that Malema's lawyers had filed the appeal.

Malema was found guilty two weeks ago of sowing serious divisions in the ANC and of bringing the party into disrepute.

He was given a five-year suspension and was told to vacate his position as president.