The ANC’s national disciplinary committee have on Friday dismissed the application brought by ANC youth league leader Julius Malema to drop all charges against him.
According to a statement released by the ANC, the hearing will continue on Monday.
Dozens of ANC Youth League supporters have warned the media that they were not welcome at Beyers Naude Square in Johannesburg’s city centre where they gathered ahead of the outcome of a disciplinary hearing against Malema.
“We are going to beat you all by the end of the day because you are writing lies,” one league supporter told journalists.
Reporters and photographers scattered far from the square when they heard a rumour that people were gathering stones and preparing to attack them.
Some were seen picking up bricks, while others danced and sang carrying the ANC flag.
One supporter pointed a toy machine gun at a South African Press Association journalist and those standing with her.
Another blocked a SABC camera with his hands saying, “Go away, the media is not welcomed here”.
One placard read: “Scrape [sic] all the charges”.
Struggle songs are the order of the day with some receiving a modern twist. Dubula ibhunu has been changed to Dubula Msholozi with the latter translating in a direct threat to Zuma.
About 200 league supporters gathered, while scores of police arrived early and set up barbed wire across several streets to prevent a repeat of Tuesday’s running battles with journalists and supporters.
Supporters were marching near the Gauteng Legislature and could be heard singing and toyi-toying from blocks away.
Many carried vuvuzelas and among those at the square were children.
Various streets around Luthuli House in Sauer Street had been barricaded.
Police didn’t expect any more protesters to arrive. “At this stage, it’s difficult to tell but we’ll be on standby for anything. That I can assure you,” Wayne Minnaar, Johannesburg Metro police spokesperson told the Mail & Guardian.
Hawkers set up shop in Beyers Naude Square hoping to cash in ahead of the ruling.
One hawker carried a bucket of vetkoek while others grilled chicken and sold toasted sandwiches and Russian rolls.
Malema was brought before the disciplinary committee this week on charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions in ANC ranks.
The charges followed comments by Malema that the youth league would send a team to Botswana to consolidate local opposition parties and to help bring about regime change, as it believed the government there was “in full co-operation with imperialists” and undermining the “African agenda”.
Charged with him are the youth league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu, deputy president Ronald Lamola, treasurer general Pule Mabe, secretary general Sindiso Magaqa and deputy secretary general Kenetswe Masenogi.
All except Shivambu would appear before the committee on Friday, said ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu. His disciplinary hearing had been postponed to a later date.
On Wednesday, Mthembu said that the disciplinary hearing was adjourned to give the committee time to decide on Malema’s application for the charges to be dropped.
On Tuesday, groups of youths purportedly supporting Malema and his four colleagues threw rocks, bottles and bricks at journalists and police in the Johannesburg CBD.
The violence subsided after Malema addressed them. — Sapa
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