The Johannesburg High Court has ordered the ANC Youth League to pay a R365,000 hotel bill - with interest - which it racked up during its national congress

More than 70 youth league delegates checked into the Rosebank Crowne Plaza for a four-day stay, from June 16 to June 20, at R950 a night.

The league undertook to settle the bill when the delegates checked out on June 20, but failed to do so.

During their stay, some of the delegates appear to have been living it up - ordering room service and splashing out on expensive breakfasts.

Two weeks after the delegates had checked out, the league sent a letter to the hotel in which it undertook to "settle the outstanding balance soonest".

In that letter, signed by Moshala Mothiba - personal assistant to youth league president Julius Malema - the league apologised for the inconvenience caused by its failure to pay and late communication.

In September the hotel obtained a default judgment against the youth league which was ordered to pay the outstanding amount. Again, it failed to do so.

Yesterday, the court ordered the league to pay the hotel R364850 with 15.5% interest as well as the hotel's legal costs.

Youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu said yesterday he was not aware of the court order but promised that his organisation would settle the outstanding bill.

"Look, if there are outstanding monies which they say we must pay, we will definitely pay them," he said.