The ANC yet again prevented its youth league from holding its much-anticipated national congress because the ruling party feared that not enough preparations have been made for the gathering.

The delay in holding the elective conference would have seen current president Collin Maine and some of his comrades replaced. This has sparked speculation that political motives could have scuttled the event from taking place.

These ranged from claims that Luthuli House feared the outcome of the conference could spell trouble for ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.

ANC national executive committee claims some party leaders were not happy that their preferred candidates looked unlikely to win.

But acting ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete yesterday said the postponement was based on conclusions that youth league organisers had not sorted out the logistics of the gathering.

"As the ANC, we are waiting for them to pay for all their logistics so that the youth league conference can sit.

"We have not received it officially as the ANC and that's why we couldn't make a decision," said Legoete.

He said claims that the ANC wanted the conference delayed until after the upcoming general elections were untrue.

"We can't take chances and commit on finances for something that is going to collapse. There's no doubt or shadow of sabotage from the mother body towards the youth league," he added.

Yesterday, the league was meant to commence with electing new leadership at its 26th national conference at the Nasrec Expo centre, southern Johannesburg.

However, the league's secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza said the league was prepared for the conference.

"Seventy-percent of our threshold is 3160 and we had 2986 branch general meetings [BGMs] which means we were at 90% [done]. However, the NWC [national working committee] then said the party's finances aren't in order," said Nzuza.

He said it was not true that they were not ready to sit.

"However, we have continued with BGMs [and] the ANC has come on board in terms of assisting us to raise funds," said Nzuza.