Zuma berates 'alien' Malema

Julius Malema is on the ropes, with supporters of his ANC Youth League openly booing him in Limpopo and President Jacob Zuma saying he was likely to face an internal disciplinary hearing.

Police fired rubber bullets and used a water cannon to control youth league delegates at an elective conference in Malema's home province of Limpopo yesterday.

The gathering turned violent after Malema tried to take control of the meeting and ensure the election of his preferred candidate. Incumbent chairman Lehlogonolo Masoga is being challenged by Frans Moswane, who has Malema's backing.

One delegate was taken away by ambulance, apparently after being hit by a rubber bullet.

Earlier yesterday, Malema waded into a crowd that was singing in support of Masoga. Witnesses said he picked up a plastic chair and appeared to be about to throw it at a delegate when his bodyguards restrained him.

Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale, who arrived in Louis Trichardt in the same car as Malema, tried to intervene when Malema was booed, but delegates shouted Mathale down, telling him he was corrupt.

The police were then called and supporters of Moswane remained in the hall when police arrived.

Witnesses claim police did not fire at anyone wearing T-shirts with a picture of Malema.

The youth league elective conference is important for Malema because he hails from Limpopo. Failure to retain control of his home province could signal the beginning of the end for Malema in the build up to the youth league's conference next year, where his deputy, Andile Lungisa, is set to challenge him.

Zuma called a rare media conference in Durban to address the controversies involving Malema, including his intervention in the Zimbabwe talks, his comments on the murder of AWB leader Eugene Terre Blanche, his verbal abuse of a BBC reporter and his defiance of the ANC leadership's instruction to stop singing the "Shoot the Boer" song.

Describing the conduct of Malema and the youth league as "alien to the ANC", Zuma said Malema's defiance of the High Court ban on the phrase "dabul' ibhunu" amounted to "undermining the leadership of the ANC and that cannot be accepted".

"When the ANC has made such a statement, it is totally out of order for us to continue as if such a statement was not made. Certainly there must be consequences for such behaviour," Zuma said.

Yet Malema supporters at the Limpopo meeting had thumbed their noses at the party leadership, wearing T-shirts with half the banned phrase - "dubula".

But Zuma reminded Malema at his news conference that the youth league was not an independent organisation and therefore subject to the policies and discipline of the ANC.

Zuma reiterated his government's commitment to the global political agreement in Zimbabwe. In a response to Malema's promise after visiting Zimbabwe that the ANC would support President Robert Mugabe in the country's next election, Zuma said: "We cannot and will not side with any one of the parties to the exclusion of the others."

Senior ANC members said it was Malema's visit to Zimbabwe and his subsequent comments that had forced Zuma's hand. They said members of the negotiating team trying to bring the rival parties in Zimbabwe together had appealed to Zuma to rein in Malema.

Zuma's berating of Malema comes after weeks of mounting pressure inside and outside the ruling party to publicly censure the youth league leader. Zuma had repeatedly defended Malema in the past, describing him as a "future leader" of the ANC and attributing his behaviour to his youth.

Zuma said the ANC would now hold an internal investigation into Malema's actions and utterances to ascertain if he should face disciplinary action for defying decisions of its national executive committee (NEC) meeting last month.

"The appropriate ANC structures will assess whether the ANCYL president has crossed this line. If he is found to have done so, the ANC will institute its own processes," Zuma said.

The president's intervention comes on the heels of a formal ANC statement on Friday condemning Malema's verbal attack on BBC reporter Jonah Fisher - at a news conference he called him a "bastard" and a "bloody agent" - and his statements on Zimbabwe.

Malema has also engaged in constant slanging matches with Cosatu, the SACP, the YCL and other ANC leaders.

Zuma said Malema faces potential censure over four sets of issues:

• Defying the High Court ruling banning the singing of the struggle song "Dabul' ibhunu";
• Defying the NEC ruling on public commentary and behaviour of ANC members and leaders;
• Interfering in and undermining the Zimbabwe peace process by siding with one of the protagonists (Zanu-PF) and verbally attacking the MDC; and
• Verbal attacks on journalists.

Zuma declined to provide further details, saying the ANC had its own procedures which would unfold "once the relevant structures are satisfied that there has been a crossing of the line. The organisation will deal with these matters internally as it deems fit."

Zuma said he had spoken to Malema by telephone after the BBC incident, but did not go into detail.

Zuma added that the NEC meeting last month had "spoken out strongly" about the need to respect the rules of political engagement.

"As the organisation's leadership we we're drawing the line and there would be consequences for anyone who crosses that line," Zuma said.

Zuma called Malema's treatment of Fisher - which was shown on television around the world - "regrettable and unacceptable, regardless of any alleged provocation on his part".

While there would be differences between the media and other sectors of society, there were appropriate means of taking up issues over reporting.

Zuma said the ANC had called on its members not to sing "Shoot the boer" while the outcome of the party's appeal against the court ruling was being conducted.

"There are procedures that one should follow to challenge court decisions. Defiance of these procedures should not be tolerated. It would make a mockery of our judicial system," Zuma said.

He said he had not received a formal complaint from the MDC about Malema's conduct thus far, but Zuma said leaders should "think before they speak, as their utterances have wider implications for the country".

In Limpopo, Malema was scheduled to open the elective conference and give a political overview, but he tried to take over the responsibility of the local chairman and read out the credentials. Delegates booed him and shouted: "No, no no; this is not your responsibility."

The start of the conference was delayed by disputes over the registration process and the Malema faction's attempt to disqualify some branches.

"The way Malema behaved today clearly indicates that he does not tolerate challenges. It is high time that action must be taken against him," said one delegate.

Malema and his entourage left shortly after the scuffle and went into the conference hall, from which the media had been barred.

Malema is also backing another of his close allies, Jacob Lebogo, to become provincial secretary.

Zuma's spokesman, Zizi Kodwa, was unable to comment on the Limpopo incident.