Juju hearing moved

Anarchy unleashed by ANCYL president Julius Malema’s supporters has prompted the ANC to change the venue of the disciplinary hearings against its youth league’s leadership.

“We are changing the venue of the hearing to somewhere far outside the city,” ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said at the party’s headquarters at Luthuli House yesterday.

The venue was being changed because the people of Joburg deserved to have space and time to do business and should not be inconvenienced, he said. The new venue would not be disclosed.

“We can’t be insensitive to people who must do business in the CBD.

“We do not want it to seem like we are running away from the threat of a siege on Luthuli House.”

Mantashe said the ANC had managed to prevent the “storming of the Bastille” yesterday, when ANCYL members rioted in the city centre.

He condemned the burning of the ANC flag by Malema’s supporters yesterday morning.

“If you burn the flag of the ANC, you are not an ANC member. You can burn my face, you can even burn Jacob Zuma’s face. If you burn the flag of the ANC I know you are not a member,” said Mantashe.

Asked what the consequences would be for those who had trashed the CBD, he said those who were responsible for yesterday’s riots would have to take responsibility.

Earlier, Malema’s supporters ran amok in central Joburg and his lawyers lost an important battle at the start of his disciplinary hearing.

As the hearing got under way, Malema failed in his bid to remove three senior ANC members – Derek Hanekom, Collins Chabane and Susan Shabangu – from the panel hearing his disciplinary case.

It is understood that Malema’s legal counsel argued that the trio had opposed Malema’s views on the nationalisation of mines and expropriation of land without compensation.

The ANC head of communications, Keith Khoza, said yesterday: “It is not for him to decide who should be the chair of the committee.

“His team presented their argument. The NDC (National Disciplinary Committee) responded and the team was retained as is.”

Malema, and youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu, deputy president Ronald Lamola, secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa, deputy secretary-general Kenetswe Mosenogi, and treasurer-general Pule Mabe face charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions in ANC ranks.

Streets were blocked off with razor wire as thousands of youth league supporters, some still in their school uniforms, gathered just metres from Luthuli House.

Buses and taxis arrived throughout the day, bringing more and more supporters. A few supporters had spent the night in Beyers Naude Square in Joburg.

During the morning protesters threw rocks and bottles, while police responded with water cannon.

A stone struck a policeman on the head. Later in the morning the crowd calmed down, although increasing numbers of supporters arrived from around the country.

Groups ran randomly through the central city, brandishing sticks, singing and chanting.

Later a man who said he was Malema’s lawyer addressed the crowd and called for non-violence.

Soon after, a police Nyala with youth league supporters on the roof drove off in an attempt to prevent more people climbing on to it.

The crowd went wild. They threw whatever they could get their hands on – bricks, stones and bottles.

Police huddled with the media, their shields held up to protect them from the projectiles. Many looked scared. Several journalists were hit. A Carte Blanche cameraman, Dudley Saunders, was hit on the head by a stone. Blood poured down his face.

The police fired bursts of water over the crowd, which remained tense until a tired-looking Malema, dressed in a Che Guevara beret and a T-shirt bearing a picture of Chris Hani and the slogan “Economic freedom fighter”, addressed them.

Appealing for calm, Malema said they should not burn the ANC flag or T-shirts bearing Zuma’s face.

“You are burning the flag of Chris Hani, of Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela. The flag of people who died for our freedom,” he said.

“We might be pained by a certain decision of the ANC, but we must respect the ANC leadership. There is nothing wrong in what you are doing. You must do it with restraint.”

Malema urged his supporters to act against “agents provocateurs” who attacked police and journalists.

“You cannot throw stones at journalists; (they) are just messengers… if you attack journalists, you’ll lose public sympathy. We know you are disciplined members of the youth league. Report the agent provocateurs to the police. The police are employed to protect you. We must not allow opportunists to speak nonsense about us.”

As his words sunk in, the crowd’s anger dissipated. - Pretoria News