ANC Welcomes Decision; Malema Defiant

The ANC has welcomed its National Disciplinary Committee’s decision to expel the ANCYL president Julius Malema and urged its structures to respect it.

So far the Women’s League has towed the party line. It has said it respects the decision of the NDC and that everyone else should do the same.

Meanwhile Malema, much as we suspected, has warned that his expulsion is ‘not the end of the road’. SABC radio news quoted him as saying:

We must accept that this is the decision, but that is not the end of the road. It is still early to celebrate because the road ahead of us is going to be very long and needs men and women… who are very strong.
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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.”
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I did not steal from anybody… I did not kill anybody.

Malema was expelled from the ANC for portraying the ANC government and its leadership under President Jacob Zuma in a negative light, and for making statements on bringing about regime change in Botswana, at an ANC Youth League press conference on July 31, 2011. His co-accused were given 3-year suspensions.

They have 14 days to appeal.

We’re in for quite a ride we think. In reality, we think this is the decision he wanted. given the way he had been behaving since the NDCA struck down his appeal against charges and sentencing. He pretty much goaded the party into kicking him out.

If Zuma has simply beaten the younger man, then we suspect that he is going to be just as successful at shutting Malema out in the cold as Mbeki was at shutting Zuma out.