A last-minute agreement between the lawyers of the warring factions of the ANC Youth League resulted in a postponement of a disciplinary hearing in which ANCYL leader Lehlogonolo Masoga in Limpopo is charged with insubordination.
Masoga claims that ANCYL president Julius Malema and the league leadership endorsed an illegimitate conference in Makhado earlier this year where Masoga was ousted as provincial youth league chairperson.
Malema’s proxy, Frans Moswane, was elected as chairperson at the conference.
Masoga and Malema were close friends but since Malema became league president this relationship has soured.
During the chaotic Makhado conference Masoga and his supporters walked out because of perceived irregularities, which included problems with credentials.
Masoga was dragged in front of a disciplinary hearing due to this action as well as his decision to convene a provincial general council meeting shortly after the conference.
An affadavit in the posession of the Mail & Guardian by a national working committee member of the league shows that Malema, in an NWC meeting, told members that Masoga should be charged with “treason” and must be kicked out of the organisation — and that a disciplinary hearing had to do this.
Masoga won the first round of his legal battle on Friday when the youth league agreed that the disciplinary hearing — which Masoga believed was meant to expel him from the organisation — must be stalled until the court processes were concluded.
No one was representing the league at the South Gauteng High Court on Friday.
The case was postponed until July 13 to allow the league’s legal team to file answering papers.
The league said in a statement that “we will never be destructed [sic] by people who are desperate for
positions and trying to drag Courts [sic] to affirm them even when membership of the ANC Youth League has rejected them as leaders”.
“The ANC Youth League places it on record that Court actions against internal organisational process are alien to our movement and totally unacceptable.
“We will never be intimidated by stray elements and will forever stay firm in protecting the integrity and discipline of our organisation.
“The 23rd National Congress gave this National Executive Committee a mandate implement [sic] all resolutions and ultimately convene the 24th National Congress in 2011. Such is going to happen and no amount of bickering and barking from the sideways [sic] will divert and destruct our determination to convene a successful National General Council in 2010 and Congress in 2011.”