Suspended youth league president Julius Malema was thrown a lifeline on Thursday when Ronald Lamola, deputy president of the league, said the ANC youth league "will never agree that its leadership is subjected to unfair and unjust (procedures) or banished for narrow political purposes. The leadership has been elected by the 24th national congress of the youth league and remains in office as elected members of the national executive committee."

He said only the internal processes of the league could decide to elect or remove its leadership.

He added that the ANC carried an obligation to educate and guide the youth league on all issues, and should not persecute its leadership for articulating the league’s views.

He said the current leadership would remain in place until June 2014.

The ANC’s national disciplinary committee was this week expected to complete the mitigation hearing of Malema and two of his colleagues.

Malema has previously claimed that the disciplinary committee was biased and that the charges were political

He was found guilty of sowing divisions and bringing the party into disrepute by a disciplinary committee.

He remains a party member until arguments in mitigation of his sentence have been concluded.

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