My fate in ANC is sealed – Malema
Ruling party will use his comments against him, league leader tells lekgotla
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema believes the outcome of his attempt to argue for a lesser sentence has already been decided.
He told delegates at the league’s lekgotla in Tshwane yesterday he expected he would be expelled from the ANC.
Malema, his right-hand man Floyd Shivambu and league secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa are due to plead their cases for mitigation of sentence before the ANC’S national disciplinary committee (NDC) today.
Malema made his closing remarks at the lekgotla behind closed doors. A number of delegates and two league leaders told Independent Newspapers this was because Malema suspected the ANC might use his comments against him when the party argues in aggravation of sentence.
Each youth leader will have two hours to try to convince the NDC to ease up on them. The ANC’S argument in aggravation is expected to be heard later this week.
Malema faces an effective five-year suspension from the ANC after the national disciplinary appeals committee upheld the NDC’S November judgment against the youth leader.
The league at its lekgotla decided to exhaust all internal options. Its provincial leadership has written asking for a meeting with the ANC’S top officials in a last-ditch bid to secure a political resolution.
If all fails, the lekgotla resolved that whatever the ANC decides to do with Malema he will remain its president and continue to act as such, even if suspended or expelled from the mother body.
They argue he was elected by league members, not the ANC, at the league’s June conference, and that he can only be removed if the league so decides. At that conference, the league’s constitution was amended to provide that any disciplinary sanction by the ANC first has to be reviewed and agreed to by a league disciplinary committee before taking effect.
In closed sessions yesterday Malema was said to be urging delegates to rally behind the league and stand fast in its campaign for economic freedom.
Delegates from almost all the league’s regions were represented at the lekgotla.
A report on nationalisation compiled by a task team for the ANC was rejected in its entirety. Delegates decided the league would continue to push for the nationalisation of mines and would stage a youth mining indaba to drum up support for this.
Yesterday, Malema called on delegates to remain loyal to the resolutions passed in June, which called also for the nationalisation of banks and the expropriation of land without compensation, even if he were suspended.
The league will submit its resolutions to the ANC.