Malema takes time out
|Published
ANCYL president Julius Malema. Photo: Itumeleng English ANCYL president Julius Malema. Photo: Itumeleng English
As ANC Youth League president Julius Malema prepared for the battle for his political future, he took time out to visit his farm.
Malema, who announced late last year that he had decided to go cattle farming, was seen at Schuil-kraal farm in Limpopo on Friday, checking on his cows.
The 139ha farm located alongside the R521 road between Polokwane and Dendron, was bought by Fwama Properties, a company partly owned by Malema’s Ratanang Family Trust.
In November, he told the Sunday Times he had 20 head of cattle and would “breed them, take them to the abattoir, slaughter them and then sell the meat”.
Meanwhile, the youth league has told the National Press Club it will not participate in the Newsmaker of the Year event after Malema was named joint winner for 2011 with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
The National Press Club said ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu had told the press club “we’re not participating in these things”.
In an e-mail to National Press Club chairman Yusuf Abramjee, Shivambu said: “… no leader of the ANCYL will be involved and no message will be sent. Please stop any form of communication with the ANC Youth League.”
Malema’s lawyers were set to argue on Monday why the ANC was wrong to punish him with a sentence that could see him suspended for five years as party member and stripped of his position as ANCYL leader.
They will try to have the verdict overturned on procedural grounds. He may succeed with some of them, but it is seen as unlikely the full verdict will be entirely thrown out.
Malema has a two-year-suspension arising from a previous disciplinary matter pending, and the Hawks are investigating him for alleged tender-fixing in Limpopo.
It was reported at the weekend that the failure by the ANC disciplinary committee to skip mitigation after convicting Malema and fellow youth league executives on charges of misconduct, would be the basis of Malema’s defence.
Malema’s team is now expected to ask that the ANC appeal panel, chaired by NEC member Cyril Ramaphosa, set aside the sentences and refer the matter back to the disciplinary committee, because his request to take the proceedings into mitigation had been ignored.
If the appeal panel rejects his case, it is understood Malema will take the same argument to the NEC.
Malema is also expected to table evidence that other ANC leaders, including ANC president Jacob Zuma and secretary general Gwede Mantashe, tainted and influenced the process by airing their strong views on his fate, and the possible outcome of the disciplinary process.
But the ANC’s leader of evidence, Uriel Abrahamse, was expected to argue against the youth league’s claims that it is a victim of politically motivated sanctions.
ANCYL Gauteng regional chairman Lebogang Maile has admitted that Malema’s disciplinary process was affecting the league’s capacity to discuss important political issues because its leadership were focused on the hearings.
“There is the potential for the youth league to become toothless and useless. Members could become scared to speculate and speak on certain issues,” he said at the weekend.
Maile called on ANC leaders to “avoid making reckless statements”.
However, he denied he was referring to ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa’s recent comments on Malema’s disciplinary hearing.
“This is a general statement. We are not for or against this or that leader. We support the ANC, not individuals. Individuals will come and go, but the ANC will always remain,” he said.
There are several possible outcomes to on Monday’s hearing.
The committee may decide to uphold the convictions and sentences handed down by the disciplinary committee; it could uphold the convictions but reduce the sentences; or it could uphold the appeals on the convictions; or uphold the convictions but dismiss the sentences. - Pretoria News