SOUTH AFRICAN youth leader Julius Malema’s political career was left in ruins yesterday following the African National Congress’s decision to uphold its earlier ruling to expel him from the ruling party.
Late on Tuesday evening the ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) confirmed Mr Malema’s appeal against his expulsion from the movement had failed and he had been stripped of his membership and leadership position in the party’s youth league.
The sanction was originally imposed on Mr Malema last November for sowing divisions in the ANC and bringing it into disrepute when he said the youth league would try to affect regime change in neighbouring Botswana.
Initially, Mr Malema was suspended for his actions. However, the sentence was increased to expulsion when he continued to attack President Jacob Zuma – who he called a dictator – while his appeal was under way.
Documents leaked to the Johannesburg-based newspaper The Star revealed that, as the end of the disciplinary process neared, Mr Malema took a more conciliatory tone towards the ANC leadership. “I’m just pleading that I should not be taken out of the ANC, I want to be a member of the ANC . . . Even if I continue to do so, Comrade Chair, as an ordinary member,” Malema reportedly said in papers filed to the NDC.
Yesterday the ANC said the nine-month disciplinary process against the youth league leadership had not been pleasant for the party.
“Our members have to abide by the constitution,” said ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu.
But the NDC did appear to leave Malema with a sliver of hope for a future in its closing statement, saying others who had been subjected to the same process had become better party members.
“We believe the same is possible for comrade Julius Malema,” it said. While Mr Malema has been unavailable for comment since Tuesday, a voicemail on his mobile phone promised the fight would continue: “At the end of everything else, we will not remember the words uttered by the enemies against us, but will remember the silence of our friends during these difficult times. Never surrender, never retreat, victory is certain.”
Mr Malema was widely popular among South Africa’s poor youth because of his calls for nationalisation of mines and the seizure of white-owned land. However, when he turned against Zuma and the ANC leadership, his political career began to disintegrate. The party’s decision to expel him has capped a particular difficult few days for Mr Malema.
As his political fate was being sealed on Tuesday, the controversial politician was filing papers in a defamation case against him taken by the leader of the main opposition leader, Helen Zille. Ms Zille is suing Mr Malema and his youth league spokesperson, Floyd Shivambu, for €140,000 for derogatory comments they made in 2009 about her and Democratic Alliance colleagues.
On Sunday City Press newspaper reported Mr Malema owes the South African Revenue Service more than €1 million, tax he has failed to pay on sums of money allegedly deposited into his Ratanga Family Trust by businessmen looking to win favour.
