The ANC kept mum about youth league president Julius Malema’s reported disciplinary hearing on Monday, refusing to confirm or deny that it was taking place.
Weekend reports quoted national executive committee member Derek Hanekom as saying that Malema had been served notice of the hearing on Monday, and was expected to attend.
However, party spokesperson Brian Sokutu said on Monday that nothing would be said about the “matter” — and would not even say that Hanekom had been inaccurately quoted on the existence of the hearing.
He said if necessary, a statement would be issued at a later date.
“We’re not going to be commenting any further on this matter. It is an internal ANC matter, resolved within the structures of the ANC.”
While Independent Online reported at noon that the hearing had started, league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu insisted that he knew nothing about reports that Malema would have to answer to party elders on some of his recent public utterances.
‘What are you talking about?’
Malema has defied calls from South African President Jacob Zuma to cease making inflammatory comments and earned a rebuke last month from Zuma for supporting Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his controversial land reform policies, under which white-owned farms have been given to black Zimbabweans.
Shivambu said: “What are you talking about? Where do you get all these things?” when asked to clarify conflicting reports on Malema’s attendance.
He claimed to know nothing about the matter, and said he had not read the newspaper reports. He said he did not read newspapers, when asked if Hanekom’s quotes were possibly inaccurate.
He referred all queries to Hanekom, who was not immediately available for comment but who told IOL: “The hearing is scheduled to take place [Monday], as I have consistently said, and I don’t have any further comment.”
Shivambu said the three earlier statements the league sent, in his name, reacting to weekend reports on its financial arm, Lembede, and lobbying for provincial chairperson posts, were based on news clippings sent to him, and maintained that he did not read newspapers and so did not know what journalists were talking about over the Malema meeting.
“I am not a white newspaper reading person,” he said, before putting down the phone. – Sapa, Reuters