Malema formally charged over Zimbabwe

The president of the ANC Youth League will now appear before a disciplinary hearing that will be headed by Derek Hanekom, who chairs the ANC’s disciplinary committee. A date has yet to be set.

Malema will be charged for bringing the ANC and government into disrepute over his remarks about Zimbabwe following his visit over the Easter holidays. While there Malema endorsed the ruling Zanu (PF) and attacked the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

He will also be quizzed about his remarks on former president Thabo Mbeki. Malema said Mbeki never rebuked the youth league publicly when he disagreed with them, unlike President Jacob Zuma.

Zuma recently issued a public apology for Malema’s remarks, distancing his government and the ANC from Malema’s behaviour. Malema will also be questioned about his remarks about the AWB leader Eugene Terre Blanche’s, whom Malema said died before changing his racist behaviour.

He will have to answer for his aggressive behaviour towards a BBC journalist, whom he called a “bastard” and a “bloody agent”. The decision to charge Malema was taken by ANC officials, including Zuma, after a number of public spats involving Malema and leaders of Cosatu, the SA Communist Party and the Democratic Party.

Acording to the ANC constitution the penalties Malema could face include a reprimand, payment of compensation and/or performance of useful tasks, suspension and expulsion. In March, the ANC’s national executive committee resolved that public spats between the alliance partners should stop and that anyone stoking the flames be disciplined.

In his political overview, Zuma said the culture of publicly attacking each other would become entrenched “if we do not act against it”. “We will create an image of an organisation and country dogged by tension and infighting,” Zuma said.

But Malema continued to speak out of turn, and his utterances following his visit to Zimbabwe proved to be the final straw.