Defiant Juju thumbs nose at ANC's bid 'to silence him'

In open defiance of the conditions of his suspension from the ANC, youth league leader Julius Malema has addressed a church service in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. The SABC reported that Malema had spoken out against what he called "individuals trying to silence him" at a second church service which he had attended.

"I will never be silenced. There is nobody who has a right to silence me," the Dispatch Online quoted Malema as saying on Friday. "The right to speak was given to me from the day I was born." According to the Dispatch Online, Malema said he was not at the Last Move Ministries church to speak politics. "When everything is difficult out there, the only safe place is church because in church you don't discriminate. We are here to receive blessings. We want the church to pray for us because those that used to be our friends have turned against us. They have not only turned against us but plan our death," he was quoted as saying.

In a statement on Thursday, ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said: "In celebrating Easter Friday and commemorating the life of Solomon Mahlangu, president Julius Malema will visit the Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ in Butterworth."

Mahlangu was an Umkhonto we Sizwe soldier hanged by the apartheid government in 1979. Malema was visiting the church in his capacity as the league's president, Shivambu said. He said Malema had not spoken at the Twelve Apostles' Church in Christ, but the embattled youth league leader had reportedly attended a second church service at Last Move Ministries, where he did speak.

This was Malema's first public appearance since the suspension. According to the SABC he was accompanied by members of the league's national executive committee, the provincial executive and National Youth Development Agency chair, Andile Lungisa.

On Wednesday, Malema was gagged and temporarily suspended by the ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC), a move which forbids him exercising any duty as an ANC member, president of the ANCYL or member of the Limpopo provincial executive committee. Malema's temporary suspension from the party followed comments he made at a centenary lecture at the University of the Witwatersrand last Friday. Malema called ANC President Jacob Zuma a dictator and said he was suppressing the youth league. The ANCYL leader was informed on Wednesday morning of his immediate temporary suspension, and that the NDC would bring disciplinary proceedings against him. The NDC had instituted special measures because of Malema's repeated behaviour. Malema is appealing his expulsion from the ANC for sowing division in the party and for bringing it into disrepute. The appeals hearing was expected to take place on April 12.

The two disciplinary proceedings are separate.

Source: Mail & Guadian

'ANC must adhere to the rules'

SENIOR advocate Patrick Mtshaulana says he will ensure that ANC disciplinary procedures are followed to the letter when he represents Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu. Malema, who is the first accused, will appear today and Shivambu tomorrow to face charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions within its membership.

Mtshaulana, a former uMkhonto weSizwe combatant, told Sowetan yesterday that he was drafted into the case late. Mtshaulana is a member of the Duma Nokwe group of advocates. The Sandton-based group of lawyers is named after the late Nokwe who was first African advocate of the Supreme Court of the Transvaal and an ANC stalwart.

"I am meeting Malema and Shivambu today. I have not held consultations yet. I am not sure whether I will also be representing all the other ANCYL members who have been charged," Mtshaulana. "I do not wish to comment further about the case except to say that we will assist in making sure that the disciplinary procedures are followed."

Source: The Sowetan

Give power back to the branch – Mantashe

African National Congress (ANC) branches must be allowed to think for themselves and leadership choices must not be dictated by a "well-resourced, narrow circle" of party members, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Tuesday. "Branches must be allowed to say 'that comrade did not do the work that he or she was given to do. Change that comrade'. And we are saying that culture must continue," he said at a media conference in Johannesburg.

The conference followed a four-day meeting of the ANC's national executive committee, which ended on Monday night. "But if we do what is called succession, you are actually killing the branches of the ANC. Branches of the ANC must be allowed to think and not be given a list of slates developed by a narrow, well-resourced circle in the ANC... That is a leadership responsibility; to liberate these branches from the vice of groupings that are intelligent, have the monopoly of wisdom, have resources, have a lot of cash-flow around elections... We must liberate the ANC from that."

He said nationalisation of the mines could not be used as a tool for punting leaders ahead of the next year's elective conference. "We must sustain nationalisation as a policy debate. You can't use a policy debate as a lobbying tool," he said.

The NEC met as the party's national officials – the top six leaders – brought disciplinary charges against ANC Youth League president Julius Malema and league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu. The charges related to comments critical of the Botswana government and about helping to strengthen opposition in that country.

Malema had said the league would support leaders, when the ANC went to its elective conference next year, who supported the league's economic programme including nationalisation of the mines and land reform without compensation.

Mantashe said the issues raised in the debate around nationalisation were pertinent, it was a "correct debate". "You can't use it as some mischievous tool of lobbying," he said. The debate had to be "anchored" in the content. The NEC re-affirmed its position on the so-called "succession debate" – that it was not yet opened for discussion. The ANC holds its next elective conference in December next year. The ANCYL and the Gauteng chapter of the party called for the opening of the debate on identifying the leadership to be elected at the conference in Mangaung.

Even some within the NEC wanted the leadership debate to be opened – Gauteng provincial chairperson, Paul Mashatile, made the call earlier this year. Malema, an ex-officio member of the NEC, also agitated for the opening of the debate at the league's own elective conference in June. "The fact that we had to remind the NEC of all the procedures, traditions and how these issues are handled in the ANC was informed by the observation that there was temptation in many structures of the ANC to jump the gun and start the nomination process today," Mantashe said.

He likened the ANC to an elephant – very slow, but very decisive when it started moving. "We reminded ourselves that we did take this decision and as members of the NEC there is an expectation that we must be loyal to our own decisions. That is part of that slow movement of an old organisation." The run-up to the Polokwane elective conference, during which President Jacob Zuma ousted former president Thabo Mbeki after a divisive leadership battle, was a "disaster", Mantashe said.

He said there would be no "silencing anybody" ahead of the 2012 conference. Lobbying should be done with respect. He was responding to questions on the disciplinary action taken against Malema. "So there is nothing political or silencing anybody. "Once you appreciate that election in 2012 is not a life and death issue for individuals, then you appreciate that there is a responsibility on this leadership to enforce discipline whether you are elected or not. "Whether you are liked or hated it doesn't matter, the organisation must not be allowed to collapse because you want to be popular and you want to be re-elected. It can't be allowed to happen... there is a term of five years, it ends in the 53rd national conference [2012]. "When we are told to stand off the stage, that is the end of our term. Before that any thing that happens, we are responsible. "Otherwise lobbying can be an open season of ill discipline, it cannot be allowed."

Mantashe described the meeting – which largely focused on discipline – as "candid and open". "That's why it took four days. It ended at 9 on Monday, day four. "We left that meeting understanding each other better."

Source: Polity

'We can't be seen to be weak': Mantashe takes aim at Malema

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe launched a veiled attack on Julius Malema on Tuesday ahead of the ANC Youth League president's appearance before a disciplinary committee next week. At a press briefing at Luthuli House in Johannesburg following the ANC's special national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend, Mantashe denounced the discipline problems besetting the party. "The NEC decried the crumbling of discipline in the ANC and it has emerged as a serious concern. Our failure to act on these issues will lose us the respect we enjoy in South Africa, the continent and the world," Mantashe said.

Malema, along with his spokesperson Floyd Shivambu, is due to appear before a party disciplinary hearing next week after being charged with misconduct last Friday for comments made on working towards regime change in Botswana. If found guilty, Malema faces being suspended from the party for up to five years, as he already has a suspended sentence against him following sanction last year. Mantashe's comments should come as no surprise as the youth league has been pushing for his ouster -- along with President Jacob Zuma -- at the ANC's next elective conference in Mangaung at the end of 2012.

Mantashe revealed that the NEC decided in its meeting to tackle unlawful business dealings within the ANC, saying it is part of their mandate as the ruling party to stamp out corruption. "It is our revolutionary duty to act against corruption and deal with it decisively -- we can't be seen to be weak," Mantashe said. This has been interpreted as a further stab at Malema, who is facing a flurry of investigations into his business dealings, with specific reference to the Ratanang trust registered in his name. The youth leader claims the trust is used to raise funds for charitable causes but is currently being probed by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela as well as the Hawks on allegations that he receives money through the trust for securing tenders in Limpopo.

Mantashe also attempted once more to quash the debate over who should lead the ANC after Mangaung, saying the discussion would commence at branch level once party leaders have given the process the green light. "The branches will have the opportunity to nominate their preferred candidates at an appropriate time [which] will be decided in due course," Mantashe said.

While not confirming disciplinary action would be taken against anybody discussing succession before the ANC officially declares it is safe to do so, Mantashe said debating the issue is a violation of the party's constitution. "The fact [that] we have to remind everyone is [due to] the temptation for members to jump the gun. We won't discuss leadership issues now and it would be deviant to do so," he said. This is a further swipe at Malema, who has been not only calling for Mantashe's head, but also began rallying support for Zuma to be replaced by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in Mangaung next year.

When quizzed by journalists about the specifics of the charges against Malema and the forthcoming disciplinary committee hearing, Mantashe would not be drawn into commenting, saying that doing so would prejudice the case. "The ANC will not comment on disciplinary procedures, so don't try to trick us into doing so," he said. Indications are that Malema will face a tough time in staving off disciplinary action, after the Mail & Guardian heard from party insiders that the youth league leader's support within the ANC is waning. The youth league is seeking a meeting with their mother body ahead of the scheduled hearing against their leader in the hopes that a political solution might be found to the situation.

If this does not result in a positive outcome from the league, ordinary youth league members confirmed to the M&G that a march is planned to ANC headquarters on the day of the hearing in a show of support of Malema. Mantashe confirmed the request of a meeting but would not comment on the possibility of it leading to the situation being defused before the hearing. "The process must be allowed to unfold and we will deal with any adventurous actions should they happen," he said.

Source: Mail & Guardian

Malema charged with fraud in tender saga

The Hawks confirmed that they were investigating African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema for fraud and corruption, eNews reported on Saturday. "From the information that we have, we have enough to tell us that we need to do a full investigation ... there's a lot that tells us that we have reason to worry," Hawks spokesperson McIntosh Polela said.

The Hawks would examine the flow of money through companies linked to Malema, including the Ratanang family trust. Polela said the Hawks would need time to work through large amounts of electronic data linked to Malema's financial dealings and therefore could not say when the investigation would be completed.

ENews also reported that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) initiated its own investigation into Malema's financial affairs and alleged failure to pay tax. This came a day after the dates of the disciplinary hearings for both Malema and party spokesperson Floyd Shivambu were announced. "The dates that have been established ... are the 30 and 31 August, which we believe gives them adequate opportunity to prepare themselves for the case," ANC national disciplinary committee chairperson Derek Hanekom told eNews on Friday. Malema and Shivambu would be "charged individually". "Both ... have been charged with various violations of the ANC constitution, including bringing the ANC into disrepute through his utterances and statements on Botswana and sowing divisions in the ranks of the African National Congress."

Malema recently said the league would send a team to Botswana to consolidate local opposition parties and help bring about regime change. It believed the government there was "in full cooperation with imperialists" and undermining the "African agenda". The ANC publicly rebuked the league and the league in turn said it did not believe it was in the wrong or going against ANC policy. It expressed disappointment at being publicly rebuked before the matter had been internally discussed.

Source: Mail & Guardian

Growing intolerance of journalists cause for concern

THERE is concern that press freedom is increasingly coming under threat with the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef), in the past few months, issuing one statement after the other condemning attacks on press freedom. Yesterday, African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema kicked BBC journalist Jonah Fisher out of a press conference in Johannesburg calling him a “bastard”, an “agent” and telling him to take his “white tendencies elsewhere” after Fisher pointed out that Malema lived in Sandton yet he criticised Zimbabwe’s opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, for having offices there.

This came on the heels of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging secretary-general Andre Visagie walking out on an e.tv talk show on the relationship between farm workers and their bosses after he became unhappy about how the interview was being handled. These incidents on their own would be concerning, but it is not the first incident involving the ANCYL or the only incident involving media being censored in the past few months. Last month, a group of journalists lodged a formal complaint against ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu for allegedly threatening journalists, saying that he had information on them after they questioned the accuracy of a document on another journalist that was leaked to them by Shivambu.

Shivambu’s attack followed a series of stories on Malema’s lifestyle and questions on whether he had directorships in companies that could be constituted as a conflict of interest. The information in Shivambu’s possession on a City Press journalist, who has been particularly critical of Malema, suggests that someone gained access to that journalist’s personal bank account. The indication was that data was being gathered on a number of journalists.

At almost the same time, two Mail & Guardian journalists were detained after taking pictures of President Jacob Zuma’s home in Forest Town, Johannesburg, and 702 Eyewitness News reporter Tshepo Lesole was forced by Zuma’s VIP unit to delete pictures of the president’s motorcade during a visit to Soweto’s Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Then, on March 23, eNews journalist Morgan Collins was arrested in Durban while covering a protest by nurses employed by the city council. Collins, who was allegedly standing on a pavement, was given five minutes to leave by metro police and did not.

Anton Harber, head of the Wits University journalism department, says there is a “worrying disrespect” for the media emerging. “The media at the moment are being tough on a number of issues and this is leading to a lot of intolerance from a number of quarters,” he says. “The only way the media can stand up to this is with good solid reporting and to support each other when an individual journalist is targeted. “Ahead of the Olympic Games in China there was a lot of insistence on the media’s freedom to operate independently during the games, and yesterday’s incident involving the ANCYL reflects badly in world media on SA and the Soccer World Cup.”

Sanef Media Freedom chairman Thabo Leshilo, who had described the Shivambu incident as “the most cynical, most sinister attack on press freedom since the end of apartheid”, says throwing a journalist out of a press conference and preventing his organisation from covering an event was censorship. “There is a concerning lack of respect for the media’s role in society,” he says. “The media are necessary for the public good to continually monitor and report on issues. We need to promote the idea of having an open society, where people are free to express themselves, where the media are free to do their jobs.”

Leshilo says despite an undertaking from the police ministry that journalists will not be prevented from doing their jobs, “ the message does not appear to be filtering down to the members who are still harassing journalists,” he says.

Harber says Malema’s comments that the rest of the media could leave yesterday’s conference because the only media house they were worried about was the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) because it “was their own”, did immeasurable damage to SABC’s credibility.

SA is ranked 44th out of 168 countries in the latest index on press freedom.

Source: Business Day

‘Speak ZA’ – Bloggers for a Free Press

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa. We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but a insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.

We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

If you don’t have this freedom of the press, then all these little fellows are weaseling around and doing their monkey business and they never get caught.

~ Harold R. Medina

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Malema to appeal hate speech judgment

The president of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), Julius Malema, is going to appeal the Johannesburg Equality Court ruling, which found him guilty of hate speech, in a higher court, his organisation said on Tuesday. This, spokesperson Floyd Shivambu, said in a statement, followed the ANCYL's agreement with Constitutional Law expert, Pierre De Vos's sentiments that the ruling was wrong Shivambu pointed out De Vos' blog entry on Constitutionally Speaking, on Tuesday, that the ruling did not illustrate Malema's intention to incite hurt on rape victims or women victims "Many people fail to understand that hate speech as defined in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act requires more than making hurtful or harmful statements about someone," De Vos said "If I say that the President is a sex obsessed idiot, or that [Democratic Alliance's] Helen Zille is a racist madam, it might be rude and it might even be defamatory but it would not constitute hate speech as I would not be saying anything based on Zuma or Zille's race, sex or sexual orientation," he wrote.

Shivambu said: "Unlike misguided elements, the ANCYL believes that this observation is sober and constitutes part of the reasons why the president of the ANCYL will appeal the ruling in a higher court. "In more than one occasion, ANCYL president has expressed consistence with values of the ANCYL, his total commitment to the emancipation of women from class, national and gender oppression. "The ANCYL and its entire leadership respects South Africa's legal and judicial systems and processes," Shivambu said.

He added that the organisation would work within these institutions and processes to ensure that proper interpretation was given to the country's laws. Sonke Gender Network took Malema to court after he said with reference to President Jacob Zuma's rape accuser that "when a woman didn't enjoy it [sexual intercourse], she leaves early in the morning". "Those who had a nice time will wait until the sun comes out, request breakfast and taxi money. In the morning that lady requested breakfast and taxi money. You don't ask for taxi money from somebody who raped you," Malema had said.

The court found him guilty of hate speech on Monday and he was ordered to apologise for his statements unconditionally within two weeks of the judgment and pay R50 000 to People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), a shelter for abused women.

Source: Polity

ANC youth on nationalisation of mines

The African National Congress (ANC) Youth Leagues’ call for the nationalisation of South African mines has ignited diversified debate locally and internationally. ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu tells Mining Weekly that the ANC Youth Leagues’ call for the nationalisation of mines is within the context of the ANC's constitutional strategic goal. “The ANC's constitution commits all members to abide by the objectives of the Freedom Charter.”

He explains that the Freedom Charter states that unequivocally the mineral wealth beneath the soil that belongs to monopoly industries and banks shall be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole. “The people as a whole is vividly distinguishable from State rentals of mineral wealth to big corporations who brutally exploit labour and unsustainably exploit mineral wealth to make big profits. “The Freedom Charter is a the clearest expression of what the ANC and alliance partners seek to achieve in South Africa and any person who is against the Charter is against the aims of the ANC and the revolutionary alliance,” Shivambu comments.

The ANC Youth League believes that this is even more relevant with the economic downturn. “We do not want the production extraction and trade of mineral wealth in the country to be profit driven. The profit motive, in particularly with regard to mining in the country, has not been helpful with the development of the South African economy. “Companies have been extracting mineral wealth from the country's soil without developing the communities where these minerals are being extracted. These same companies have also not significantly contributed to the industrialisation, beneficiation, and the diversification of the economy.”

Shivambu says that the country has been reliant on the production of mineral resources from mining for a very long time, and adds that it is not durable. “South Africa now needs to be competitive in other areas of the industry such as beneficiation. Most South Africans do not even know what the platinum is used for, yet 70% of platinum reserves are located in South Africa. The country needs to start beneficiating its resources,” he says.

The ANC Youth League believes that only when the State is in control of mineral production an opportunity will be created for the development of the country’s mineral industry. “The State will not employ people just because we want to make more money, and then cut labour when it suits us, with thousand of people losing their jobs and their lives because working conditions are not safe. “When the State is directly involved in the mining of these minerals, it is going to be more conducive to the people, developing communities and societies,” says Shivambu.

However, South African Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu told Reuters that the country would not nationalise mines despite calls from the ruling party's allies. She confirmed that the ANC's youth wing, as well as trade union federation Cosatu, have asked the government to take control of mines. "We are definitely not going to nationalise mines," Shabangu reassured. "The ongoing debate will not change the government's policy at all. It must be a concern for investors, but I want to assure them that as government we are not going to go on that route. The South Africa they knew yesterday is the same today and nothing will change. It is a non-issue," she said.

To that, Shivambu says that the Minister is not representing the views of the ANC. “We met with the ANC and as far as we are concerned, the policy of the ANC is the Freedom Charter which was reaffirmed in the recent congress of the ANC. “The Minister is not speaking on behalf of the ANC, she is speaking on behalf of government. Even though the government is constantly mandated by the ANC, at times there are those who miss the proper understanding and grasp of what the ANC is saying on certain issues. “The Charter speaks to the nationalisation of mines, and possibly at government-level that has not been given practical meaning, however, within the ANC policy that is a reality. We are sure that the ANC will be guiding government on how to move forward on this particular issue.” He says that investor confidence will not be harmed by the nationalisation of the country’s mines. “We are going to open up investment opportunities in other areas such as the beneficiation of minerals, where we do not have the capacity. However, in terms of control ownership of mines we need the state to be in control of the mines.”

Shivambu explains that the nationalisation proposal is not going to be a “big-bang” introduction, but a gradual introduction of State ownership. “Partnerships will be formed between the State and big corporations,” he says. Ultimately, Shivambu states that the ANC is for nationalisation of mines in the country, and that it will happen.

Source: Polity

"We are very sorry": Malema

ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema has apologised for creating the impression that he was inciting violence with his "kill for Zuma" statements, a spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. "People are uncomfortable with the way in which we have spoken before and we are indeed very, very sorry for that," said ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu, a day after the national executive committee of the ANC met and discussed, among other things, Malema's controversial statements.

Shivambu confirmed that Malema's apology, in an interview on Talk Radio 702 on Monday afternoon, was in the context of his "kill for Zuma" statements. "If we did sound like we're inciting violence, we are very sorry," Malema said. "That was not our intention; we'll never incite violence. We will never do anything unconstitutional. We are law-abiding citizens of this country and we will protect the Constitution of this republic. "We fought for it and we stand by it," said Malema.

He was replying to an SMS from a listener which stated: "Stop inciting violence". Shivambu said that even though the ANCYL did not believe it was inciting violence with the "kill for Zuma" statements, it was sorry if that impression was created. While the ANC has defended Malema, its president Jacob Zuma recently said he had advised Malema to stop making controversial statements.

Malema's statements have been used as ammunition by ANC breakaway party, the Congress of the People, whose leader Terror Lekota has accused the youth leader of acting in an unconstitutional manner. Malema last year said the youth league would kill for ANC leader Jacob Zuma. Since then, apparently after ANC leaders rebuked him in private, he has replaced the word "kill" with "eliminate" in similar statements. More recently, Malema accused Northern Cape premier Dipuo Peters of being "bought" by business.

He also called Cope co-leader Mbhazima Shilowa, the former premier of Gauteng, a "security guard" who had defaulted on child support payments. The ANC on Monday accused the media of "Malemaphobia" and said the only Malema statement it could find fault with was the "kill for Zuma" remark.

Meanwhile, Cope's youth leader Anele Mda is in the hot water for saying South Africa would have a "government that is going to make raping official", referring to the rape charge on which Zuma was acquitted last year. Cope is expected to issue a statement related to her remarks on Tuesday.

Source: Polity

"We are very sorry": Malema

ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema has apologised for creating the impression that he was inciting violence with his "kill for Zuma" statements, a spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. "People are uncomfortable with the way in which we have spoken before and we are indeed very, very sorry for that," said ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu, a day after the national executive committee of the ANC met and discussed, among other things, Malema's controversial statements.

Shivambu confirmed that Malema's apology, in an interview on Talk Radio 702 on Monday afternoon, was in the context of his "kill for Zuma" statements. "If we did sound like we're inciting violence, we are very sorry," Malema said. "That was not our intention; we'll never incite violence. We will never do anything unconstitutional. We are law-abiding citizens of this country and we will protect the Constitution of this republic. "We fought for it and we stand by it," said Malema.

He was replying to an SMS from a listener which stated: "Stop inciting violence". Shivambu said that even though the ANCYL did not believe it was inciting violence with the "kill for Zuma" statements, it was sorry if that impression was created. While the ANC has defended Malema, its president Jacob Zuma recently said he had advised Malema to stop making controversial statements.

Malema's statements have been used as ammunition by ANC breakaway party, the Congress of the People, whose leader Terror Lekota has accused the youth leader of acting in an unconstitutional manner. Malema last year said the youth league would kill for ANC leader Jacob Zuma. Since then, apparently after ANC leaders rebuked him in private, he has replaced the word "kill" with "eliminate" in similar statements. More recently, Malema accused Northern Cape premier Dipuo Peters of being "bought" by business.

He also called Cope co-leader Mbhazima Shilowa, the former premier of Gauteng, a "security guard" who had defaulted on child support payments. The ANC on Monday accused the media of "Malemaphobia" and said the only Malema statement it could find fault with was the "kill for Zuma" remark.

Meanwhile, Cope's youth leader Anele Mda is in the hot water for saying South Africa would have a "government that is going to make raping official", referring to the rape charge on which Zuma was acquitted last year.

Cope is expected to issue a statement related to her remarks on Tuesday.