Malema's replacement will be named in March

DESPITE recently having been voted on to the ANC's powerful national executive committee, ousted youth league treasurer-general Pule Mabe still wants his position back.

Mabe told Sowetan that as far as he was concerned, he was still the league's treasurer and urged his colleagues to abide by ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe's instructions to reinstate him.

Mabe, a former ally-turned-nemesis of Julius Malema, was booted out of the ANC Youth League's national executive committee in May last year after a vote of no confidence was passed against him.

Mabe subsequently wrote to Mantashe asking for his intervention in the matter.

In a letter to the league Mantashe instructed the league's NEC to reverse its decision as ANC officials deemed it "unconstitutional" and advised that Mabe be charged for any transgressions he may have committed.

The league has yet to take Mabe through any disciplinary processes.

Mabe said: "I am the treasurer-general of the youth league and whatever view has been expressed was long appealed."

Youth league spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni-Khawe said: "That issue was dealt with last year and the position of the NEC has not changed. We received an advisory from the secretary-general (to reverse the NEC decision) and it was considered."

Sangoni-Khawe maintained that Mantashe's call for Mabe's dismissal to be reversed was merely an advisory and not an instruction.

An NEC member, who asked not to be named, said Mabe's case would be presented to league branches at a national general council meeting, which is expected to be convened in March.

At this planned gathering, branches are expected to fill the vacancy of the president which was left open following Malema's expulsion from the ANC.

- molatlhwao@sowetan.co.za