EXPELLED ANCYL leader Julius Malema and his comrades were yesterday forced to hastily get a lawyer when the party's national disciplinary committee of appeals (NDCA) was willing to proceed without one.

Malema, league secretary Sindiso Magaqa and spokesman Floyd Shivambu marched into the hearing yesterday without their legal team, hoping the committee would grant them a postponement.

But the committee, chaired by Cyril Ramaphosa, declined to postpone the matter and instead gave them an hour to get an alternative legal representative.

And while the youth leaders fought for their political survival on the sixth floor of Luthuli House, President Jacob Zuma cut his birthday cake on the ground floor of the party's headquarters in the company of staff members and government officials.

Among those at the celebration were ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane and Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane.

In all their previous appearances before the ANC's disciplinary structures, the youth leaders were represented by Advocate Dali Mpofu, Clifford Motsepe and Patrick Mtshaulana SC.

The three brought in Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane to represent them yesterday.

Sikhakhane requested a postponement, arguing that he needed time to prepare his heads of arguments.

The committee granted the postponement on condition that Malema and Shivambu do not do an oral presentation when the hearing sits again.

Sikhakhane has to submit the heads of arguments by next week Wednesday.

Yesterday Ramaphosa released a statement saying: "The NDCA agreed to postpone the hearing with a proviso that the new legal representative will submit the appellants' heads of argument by the 18th of April 2012 in writing.

"Upon receiving the heads of argument, the respondents will submit their written heads of argument on the 20th of April 2012. Upon receiving the written submissions, the NDCA will sit and consider these and take a decision."

Malema and Shivambu want the NDCA to set aside the ANC's national disciplinary committee decision to retrospectively expel and suspend them from the party.

Though they were granted postponement, Malema will tomorrow have to make written submission to the same committee, requesting it to set aside his latest suspension triggered by his describing Zuma as a "dictator".

Malema and Shivambu's troubles seem to be deepening because on Sunday the league's national executive committee will meet to discuss the future of the league without Malema.

Malema, who will not attend the meeting because of the suspension, will instead be a subject of discussion, as some youth league leaders are believed to have expressed concern that his attack on Zuma was not the league's stance.

Meanwhile, the league's elective provincial conference in Limpopo has been postponed to next weekend.

It was initially scheduled to start tomorrow.

Though some in the league claimed that it was postponed because of allegations of divisions, provincial secretary Jacob Lebogo told Sowetan the postponement was due to "logistic challenges".