A mitigation hearing for ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema and two other league members continued late into Monday afternoon, the ANC said.
“There has been a slight change, we said the meeting had finished at 4pm but it is still continuing,” said ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza.
Earlier, Khoza said the meeting had finished but could not confirm whether it would continue on Tuesday.
Six hours were set aside on Monday to allow Malema, his spokesperson Floyd Shivambu and the league’s secretary general Sindiso Magaqa an opportunity to argue in mitigation of their suspension from the ruling party.
Khoza said he could not provide details on the applications brought by youth league leadership during the hearing.
Arguing its case
Earlier in the day, ANC national disciplinary committee chairperson Derek Hanekom said the ruling party would also be allowed to argue its case during the hearing.
“The sitting will also receive arguments for aggravating circumstances from the ANC as per the decision of the NDCA [national disciplinary committee of appeals] … the ANC’s aggravating argument will also be allocated two hours in total,” he said in a statement.
On Sunday, during a closed session of the league’s lekgotla, Malema told delegates he had received a letter from the committee only on Saturday informing him, Shivambu and Magaqa that they had to be at the mitigation proceedings.
Hanekom denied this, saying the NDC and the youth league met on Wednesday, February 8, in a pre-hearing conference and agreed on the date for the mitigation and aggravating arguments.
“Secondly, we want to place on record that formal letters were sent to each individual on Thursday, February 9 to confirm the sitting,” Hanekom said.
‘Misleading’ statements
He said the NDC wanted to correct “misleading” statements that the youth league leaders were charged for calling for the nationalisation of mines, expropriation of land, and “economic freedom”.
“At no stage were these issues a factor in the current cases. Any argument suggesting that the hearings at any stage had anything to do with these issues is devoid of any truth.”
Last Saturday, the ANC’s appeals committee announced that attempts by Malema, Shivambu, Magaqa and three other league officials to have the guilty verdicts against them overturned were dismissed.
They were found guilty in November last year of bringing the ANC into disrepute and of sowing division in the party.
This was after they made comments about regime change in Botswana, undermined Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba’s authority, insulted a journalist and compared President Jacob Zuma unfavourably to his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. — Sapa
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