Malema to ask Mugabe for cash

BELEAGUERED ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is going to ask Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for money to fund the league's programmes, Sowetan reported.

ANCYL members who attended the NEC meeting on Saturday and spoke on condition of anonymity told Sowetan that Malema complained at the meeting that the youth league's programmes were not well funded and the office of treasurer-general Pule Mabe was not doing its work.

This was after an NEC member had told the meeting that Mabe's office needed to be reinforced. Malema responded that he did not know what the leader meant. He said the NEC would have to make "a decision" about that office, but did notelaborate.

According to a provincial leader who asked to remain anonymous, a meeting of all provincial chairpersons and secretaries took place in Sandton before the NEC meeting, where a plan was hatched to deal with Mabe.

The meeting was addressed by national secretary Sindiso Magaqa in the presence of spokesman Floyd Shivambu and Gauteng youth leader Thabo Kupa. The source said they also spoke about Mabe's failure to raise funds.

"The meeting was to lay the ground for the NEC to attack Pule but we did not succeed," the source said.

Shivambu said the youth league would hold a press conference on Wednesday to reveal what was discussed at the NEC. He denied that the meeting had discussed Mabe's job.

But Sowetan understands that Malema told the NEC that at some point he had to use his own money to fund ANCYL programmes because there was no money. He said it was unfortunate that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had died, implying that he would have approached him to fund ANCYL programmes.

Malema and Magaqa spoke about future programmes of the league, including rolling out their mass action campaign of economic freedom rallies in other provinces. According to at least three sources who attended the meeting, Malema mentioned that the league needed to target countries in Africa and internationally for funding.

He is said to have mentioned that the league should approach Zanu-PF.

It was reported that Mabe did not want ANCYL leaders to appeal against their sentences. According to members at the meeting, Malema and Mabe tried to show a united front, sharing jokes, but Malema's comments showed there were cracks.

"They never attack each other in meetings, but yesterday Pule's office came under fire from Malema for not doing its work," a source said.

The league called for a special NEC meeting to discuss the way forward regarding the sentencing of its officials on charges of sowing divisions and bringing the ANC into disrepute.