POLICE AND supporters of the controversial leader of the African National Congress Youth League clashed repeatedly yesterday during his disciplinary hearing before senior figures of South Africa’s ruling party.
As a result of the violence, the ANC said Julius Malema’s hearing would move to an undisclosed venue outside downtown Johannesburg. The organisation added that the youth league, which blamed rogue protesters for the clashes, could not abdicate responsibility for what had happened.
At least one police officer and five journalists were injured as thousands of youth league members engaged in running street battles around the ANC’s headquarters in downtown Johannesburg, where Mr Malema’s hearing was taking place.
Police used rubber bullets, stun grenades and water cannons against the protesters, who in return threw bricks, smashed shop windows and burned pictures of ANC leaders.
Mr Malema and the ANC Youth League leadership face charges of “sowing divisions” within the ruling party and bringing it into disrepute by saying recently it was sending a team to neighbouring Botswana to help to democratically overthrow its government.
However, many in the youth league believe the charges are politically motivated, and are in reality a bid by the ANC leadership to sideline the youth league’s firebrand leader ahead of party elections at a national level next year.
South African president Jacob Zuma is expected to run for a second term as ANC leader in 2012. However, there are fears Mr Malema and his youth league colleagues, who have been critical of his performance recently, are a threat to these ambitions due to their ability to mobilise the country’s youth against him.
From early morning yesterday youths gathered in the streets surrounding Luthuli House, the ANC’s headquarters, to show their support for Mr Malema, but the police had blocked off access to the building. This appears to have been the spark that ignited the violence.
At one point Mr Malema was compelled to come out of the disciplinary hearing to speak to his followers, urging them not to attack people.
“You cannot throw stones at journalists because journalists are just messengers . . . if you attack journalists, you will lose public sympathy,” he told a crowd at Beyers Naude Square in central Johannesburg.
“The police is not your enemy. These are the people employed to protect you. You must know who is the enemy,” he said, after which the crowd started chanting “Zuma! Zuma!”.
Five other ANC Youth League leaders will face the same charges over the coming days.
If found guilty Mr Malema, who says he will accept the disciplinary committee’s ruling, could be suspended or expelled from the ANC.
Mr Malema was put on probation by the ANC last year after being found guilty of criticising Mr Zuma. He is also under separate investigation for alleged fraud and corruption.