The ANC Youth League on Sunday said it had not referred to President Jacob Zuma in a televised speech about multiple partners by its leader Julius Malema.
“The ANCYL places it on record that president Julius Malema never made any reference to the state president and will never discuss personal matters of the ANC president in public,” spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said in a statement.
“The ANCYL does not have a problem with the president of the ANC and would never be ashamed to speak about problems if there were any.”
Shivambu said Malema had reaffirmed the youth wing’s policy of “one boyfriend, one girlfriend” at a rally in the Free State, which was televised by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
The policy was aimed at “discoursing” multiple sexual partners among the youth, he said.
It accused the broadcaster of distorting the message by suggesting that Malema was referring to Zuma.
On its website, the SABC said Malema launched a “scathing attack on nameless ANC leaders”.
“He [Malema] says leaders cannot afford to have many wives, saying leaders with multiple partners will die soon,” the SABC said in its report.
The broadcaster’s spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago was not immediately available for comment. – Sapa