Malema barred from entering the UK

The expelled leader of South Africa's ANC party Youth League, Julius Malema, has been barred from entering the United Kingdom it has emerged.

Malema who was scheduled to address African and West Indian black exiles at a recent Birmingham Africa Liberation Day function, (last weekend) failed to obtain a Visa together with another speaker from Tanzania who was also barred by the British embassy, according to conference organisers.

Conference organisers said that Malema failed to obtain British embassy clearance.

"Julius Malema didn't make it to Africa Liberation Day," a senior organising committee member who declined to be named said adding that even another speaker from Tanzania had been barred.

"Neither the commissioner from Tanzania. The British embassy failed to issue a VISA when they should have. So that was a sabotage.

"It was deliberate. They have done it before, and of course we will be taking it with the relevant authorities," he said.

Earlier last week, one of the senior organisers, Mr Bini Butuakwa, said was having serious VISA problems: "We are having a bit of the problem at the moment which is getting him into the country. If we don't get him….we going to get him on Skype," he said.

"He was going to come but we are getting some problem", he added.

Zimbabwe minister funding trip

Mr Butuakwa however stated that Zimbabwe's information Minister Webster Shamu had promised to pay for Malema's air fares, should he have problems.

"The Information Minister in Zimbabwe said that he will get him to come over and if he has a problem with paying he would cover the fare…," he said.