THE legal showdown between the ANC Youth League and its ousted Limpopo chairperson Lehlogonolo Masoga continues in the Johannesburg high court today.

Masoga has applied to the court to stop the youth league (ANCYL) from proceeding with charges against him. He is accused of bringing the league into disrepute.

The charges came after Masoga and his supporters walked out of an ANCYL provincial conference in April. They accused youth league president Julius Malema and his supporters of hijacking the gathering held in Makhado.

Masoga was then accused of sowing division within the league.

The court hearing comes after efforts by the ANC to intervene in the ANCYL internal battles.

Last week the ANC leadership led by ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe called on Masoga and the Eastern Cape provincial executive to withdraw their court cases against the Malema-led ANCYL leadership.

This was on condition the ANCYL leadership withdrew the charges against Masoga and the decision to disband the Eastern Cape provincial executive committee (PEC).

The move apparently failed after Malema rejected the proposal and told the ANC not to interfere in internal ANCYL matters.

The Eastern Cape PEC has won the case against its dissolution.

Masoga could not be reached for comment.

ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambo yesterday slammed using the courts to resolve internal disputes. "The ANCYL is dismayed that even after the ANC secretary general instructed the Eastern Cape dissolved PEC to withdraw court processes they went ahead, undermining the decisions of the ANC.

"The ANC should consider corrective measures against all members who defy its decisions."