The fiery youth leader may be suspended for five years but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of him.
The former leader of the African National Congress’s Youth League, Julius Malema, is officially on the outs as the leadership of the African National Congress rejected his second attempt to sidestep a five-year suspension received for sowing divisions.
Although analysts say the sentence is likely to stick, Malema plans to continue fighting the decision for months to come. "We must accept that this is the decision, but that is not the end of the road," Malema told the South African Broadcasting Corporation. "If you are weak, you are going to fall in the process. I'm not a soldier who is prepared to fall in the battle. I will die with my boots on. I will die for what I believe in."
In November, the African National Congress's disciplinary committee charged Malema, 30, with bringing the party into disrepute and sowing division, stemming from both his involvement in supporting the overthrow of the government of neighboring Botswana and his public criticism of current South African president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma. He was sentenced to a five-year suspension from the organization.
Although Malema has already appealed the decision and attempted to mitigate the five-year suspension term, he could still ask the ANC's national executive committee to review the matter. After that, if rejected again, he could potentially make a bold attempt at taking the issue to the floor of the party’s next national conference in December — a first in the ANC’s 100-year old history.
After the decision was announced on Wednesday, Malema’s supporters clashed with his rivals in his hometown. Shots rang out as anti-Malema protesters brandished signs saying "RIP Julius" and "Corrupt Dictator" on the street, Al-Jazeera reported.
BET Global News — Your source for Black news from around the world, including international politics, health and human rights, the latest celebrity news and more.
(Photo: Foto24 / Gallo Images / Getty Images)
Videos You May Like
-
News Frederick Douglass Honored With... Clip (6/19/2013)
-
News South Africans’ and... Clip (6/19/2013)
-
News Slaying Self Doubt in the Face... Clip (6/19/2013)
-
Celebrities BET.com Celebrates LGBT Pride Month Clip (6/17/2013)
-
News President's Weekly Address... Clip (6/17/2013)
-
News White House Fathers Find Time... Clip (6/14/2013)
-
News Reflections From Myrlie... Clip (6/13/2013)
-
Fashion and Beauty Pharrell: “BBC Is Like A Moving... Clip (6/13/2013)
-
BET Experience My Black is Beautiful... Clip (6/13/2013)
-
News Mikey Garcia, Inside the Ring Clip (6/11/2013)
-
News Garcia vs. Lopez Scouting Report Clip (6/11/2013)
-
News Obama Observes Equal Pay Act Clip (6/10/2013)
-
News Trayvon's Father Speaks Ahead of... Clip (6/10/2013)
-
News President's Weekly Address... Clip (6/10/2013)
-
News Medgar Evers Receives a Martyr's... Clip (6/7/2013)
-
106 & Park Guest Rewind: Justice for... Clip (6/7/2013)
-
News What Is the Sequester Trickle-Down? Clip (6/7/2013)
-
Movies Exclusive: Sneak Peek of the Doc... Clip (6/6/2013)
-
Lifestyle Reginae and Bria Debut... Clip (6/6/2013)
-
News Special: Zimmerman Defense... Clip (6/6/2013)
On Facebook
On Twitter
