Former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) Limpopo chairperson Lehlogonolo Masoga has been found guilty of “grave” and “serious” offences by the league’s national disciplinary committee, which could see him expelled, his backers said on Friday.
Masoga applied for an urgent interdict last month to stop the ANCYL from proceeding with the disciplinary hearing, a process he felt was flawed.
On Tuesday, Masoga and the league agreed to have the case struck off the court roll to allow the ANC, the league’s mother body, time to intervene.
On Thursday he received a text message requesting that he again appear before the disciplinary committee. He condemned the move, saying the league’s leaders had not given the ANC time to mediate.
ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu on Friday said Masoga then attempted for a second time to haul league bosses to court over the disciplinary proceedings, but failed. The high court in Johannesburg dismissed Masoga’s second attempt at obtaining an interdict with costs.
Shivambu said the court found Masoga’s approach “unbecoming” and urged him to deal with the matter internally.
In a fax detailing the findings of the disciplinary committee in the Masoga matter, committee chair Doctor Tshwale detailed Masoga’s offences. The fax was distributed by the faction in Limpopo supporting the former chairperson.
He was charged and found guilty of “creating divisions”, “impeding the proper functioning of the organisation” and undermining the effectiveness of the ANCYL. These were “grave offences”.
He was further found guilty of “serious offences”, including “behaving in such a way as to provoke serious divisions and breakdown of unity in the organisation”, and “engaging in organised factional activity that goes outside the recognised norms of free debate inside the organisation and therefore threatens unity”.
Masoga’s punishment would be decided on Monday July 19. He was asked to be present.
Ousted
In April, Masoga was ousted as Limpopo chairperson at a chaotic ANCYL conference in Mikado. He was replaced by Frans Moswane, who is aligned to league president Julius Malema.
Masoga said the conference was unlawful and claimed the new leaders were elected after Malema took over proceedings. Masoga then tried to reconvene the conference.
He was accused of disobeying an ANCYL national executive committee instruction not to reconvene a second elective conference.
Meanwhile, the Star on Friday reported that Moswane was drawing a salary of R35 000 per month, despite not having reported for duty since June last year.
He is employed as a communications officer responsible for research at the Sekhukhune municipality, which is currently probing the matter.
The ANCYL’s national leaders were meeting on Friday to “reflect on all important organisational matters”, said Shivambu.
The battle to lead the various provinces in the league was a precursor to a race to head the organisation at its national elective conference in 2011. — Sapa