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Juju team continues with mitigation plea

PLEADS: Julius Malema
PLEADS: Julius Malema

THE ANC Youth League's defence team will today continue with its mitigation argument against the five-year suspension sentence imposed on Julius Malema.

The team also represents ANCYL secretary Sindiso Magaqa and spokesman Floyd Shivambu, whose sentences were also upheld by the ANC national disciplinary committee of appeals two weeks ago.

The ANC will present its case for aggravating circumstances soon afterwards.

The appeals committee, chaired by Cyril Ramaphosa, granted the league leaders a chance to plead for a lesser sentence after dismissing their appeals against their original sentences.

On Monday two ANCYL leaders, Andile Lungisa and Abner Mosaase, were called to defend Malema.

Both said the charge against Malema's remarks on Botswana and the African Renaissance were resolutions adopted at the ANCYL elective congress in July.

They said they gave ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe a copy of all the resolutions on August 2 and that he neither objected nor called them in for discussion.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe told the ANCYL lekgotla in Pretoria last week that the league could not adopt resolutions that were in conflict with ANC policies and its constitution.

Malema, Shivambu and Magaqa were found guilty in November last year of bringing the ANC into disrepute and of sowing division in the party.

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