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Mosase, to defend him against the charges of which he was found guilty.
These related to calling for regime change in Botswana and decrying the death of the African agenda since the departure of former president Thabo Mbeki.
The Sunday Times has learnt that Malema stood by his original argument that the comments he made on the two issues were not his personal views but positions adopted by the youth league’s NEC.
Lungisa and Mosase backed this up and told the ANC’s national disciplinary committee – headed by deputy science and technology minister Derek Hanekom – that it was the NEC that took these radical positions and Malema merely articulated a collective decision.
But last Thursday the prosecution is understood to have called for the expulsion of the youth leader, arguing that he had shown no remorse for his utterances and actions.
Malema, league secretary general Sindiso Magaqa and its spokesman Floyd Shivambu were found guilty of ill discipline and bringing the party into disrepute.
Malema was initially handed a five-year suspension, while Shivambu was suspended for three years for insulting a journalist. Magaqa was given a three-year suspended sentence on condition that he apologised to Public Enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba for insulting him.
The three lost their appeals and were referred back to the NDC to argue in mitigation of their sentences.
Hanekom’s committee wrapped up the hearings late Thursday night and is expected to announce the outcome this week.
But the youth league has come out in defence of Malema – vowing to retain him as president until his current term ends in 2014.
This has angered the mother body. The party’s secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told a Young Communist League gathering at Wits University last Thursday night that the league was bound by the ANC’s decisions even though they thought such decisions to be “stupid and uninformed”.
However, while there was a public show of support for Malema from the league’s NEC, there was also strong lobbying by another faction, which is pushing for treasurer Pule Mabe and ambitious Eastern Cape secretary Ayanda Matiti to take over.
They are now awaiting Hanekom’s announcement before pushing for a national general council which can elect people to the vacant positions.
“The support (for Malema) is temporary. Once he’s out. That position by the (league’s) NEC becomes useless. Comrades are ambitious (and) people will come out,” said one NEC member.
For the Malema faction, retaining Ronald Lamola in his position as deputy president would keep them in control of the league. Malema will address a youth league rally in Bushbuckridge today where he is expected to lash out at the ANC leadership and complain about the handling of his case. – timeslive.co.za.
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