ANC Youth League president Collen Maine and secretary- general Njabulo Nzuza are being accused by disgruntled members of the league of delaying its elective conference for their own political ends.

Some members are contemplating taking them to court to seek a guarantee that the conference won't be postponed again. Others are planning to picket outside Luthuli House to force the league mandarins and the mother body to move the elective conference, which was recently moved from June to September 6, to an earlier date.

Two senior league members and one ANC member, who didn't want to be named for fear of victimisation, said Maine and Nzuza delayed the conference so they could continue attending ANC national working committee (NWC) and national executive committee (NEC) meetings where they could lobby for their deployment to government.

"Maine attends NWC meetings by virtue of being the president of the organisation whereas Nzuza attends NEC meetings by virtue of being the secretary-general of the league. They attend these meetings where they could continue to lobby for deployment in government. They are scared that if the conference is held and the new leadership is elected, their lobbying for positions would be difficult because they would no longer be sitting in close proximity to power," said the league member.

Another league member said they were aggrieved with the umpteenth postponement of the conference.

"If these comrades don't move this conference to a closer date, or give us a guarantee that the conference will happen on the set date, we will have no option but to go to court. They delay this conference for their own interests," said the member.

A senior ANC member said some league members have also threatened to march on Luthuli House.

"They said if the conference is not moved to a closer date they need a guarantee that it would not be postponed because they suspect that there is a deliberate ploy to delay to next year," said the official.

Maine dismissed the allegations as untrue .

"How can I need the NEC to lobby because I'm an elected member of the NEC? We have the adopted road map and that road map is being followed to make sure that conference sits in September," he said.

Nzuza added: "Yes, I sit in the NEC but I don't sit in the NWC. This is a publicity stunt by these comrades who are supposed to be recruiting in their branches ... Conference will sit from September 6 to September 11."