Malema axes opponents

ANC Youth League leader's allies strip KwaZulu-Natal executive of powers and launch probe into 'ghost' branches in Cape Town

THE embattled ANCYL leadership appears to be positioning itself for a major fightback following incidents which saw it stripping its KwaZulu-Natal executive council of all its powers amid mounting "factionalism" within the structure.

At the same time, the newly elected pro-Malema Western Cape leadership says it is investigating ghost branches set up by business people who pay the membership fees of non-existent members.

The businesspeople, who the league declined to "name and shame", allegedly give ANCYL members R1000 to pay the R10 membership fee of 100 "members" - the minimum number needed to establish a branch.

At a press conference yesterday, the league's new Cape Town regional secretary, Mfuzo Zenzile, said delegates to a league elective congress in the city two weeks ago had complained about ghost branches, sparking the investigation.

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial youth league structure yesterday confirmed that it had received a letter from the ANCYL national working committee informing them that all powers of the PEC have been "shelved".

The latest move stops the provincial structure in its tracks as it is now barred from holding meetings under the ANCYL banner or represent the league.

ANCYL deputy provincial secretary and MPL Siboniso Duma said the matter was driven by "factionalism", saying they would ignore the letter. "We will defy them and also ask the ANC to intervene in the issue.

"We are the ANCYL for the ANC. The youth NEC has no power to disband or take powers of the PEC," he said.

"We are also aware that they will be coming here over the weekend to disband the PEC and put their people in place. We have called an urgent PEC meeting to discuss this and we will be meeting the branches of the eThekwini region too."

ANCYL general-secretary Sindiso Magaqa confirmed that the letter was sent, adding that they had the capacity to strip all powers of the PEC due to infighting.

"They fight with each other, and we say the PEC should not convene any meeting under the youth league or sit in any structure until we resolve their impasse," Magaqa said.

He said PEC members were "welcome to defy them as they always do".

"We had called them to the NEC and they defied us. They are familiar with defiance, but we will cross that bridge when we get there."

Magaqa said there was no move to disband the youth structure in the province.

There has been clear divisions and mistrust among ANCYL members after the KwaZulu-Natal PEC took a stance against busing members to Johannesburg in support of league president Julius Malema and his executive when they were hauled before a disciplinary committee.

This week, the ANCYL in the province also said they were behind President Jacob Zuma for a second term. But it has been reported that provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo holds a different view and does not support Zuma.

Mtolo has been given an ultimatum by the youth wing to choose between being the mayor of Kokstad and the league's secretary.

Mtolo has, however, denied the existence of any such ultimatum. "We have matters that are too internal and cannot be discussed in the media," he said.