Julius Malema - who was facing a growing rebellion and a possible palace coup - emerged victorious after the ANC bigwigs reprimanded his political opponents and reaffirmed the youth league president's leadership.
An ANC task team - led by deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe - was asked to sort out the shenanigans in the youth league within a week after factions in five provinces challenged Malema's leadership, with some dragging him to court.
The task team met a rebellious faction from Limpopo and the disbanded Eastern Cape youth leadership at a day-long meeting Luthuli House on Thursday.
According to a source who attended the meeting, ousted Limpopo youth leader Lehlogonolo Masoga was told to appeal his expulsion from the league through party structures, rather than run to courts.
Masoga was also told to stop running parallel structures in the province and to cease organising another provincial conference after a chaotic gathering in April which was disputably won by the Malema lot.
A second source indirectly confirmed that Masoga was reined in.
"The aim is to stabilise the organisation, it is not a Malema victory as such," said the source.
The two sources cannot be named because they are not allowed to divulge details of the meeting.
Masoga attended the meeting, which also included national ANCYL leaders such as Malema.
Masoga did not want to comment yesterday.
But Masoga's ally and ousted provincial league secretary Goodman Mtileni, who did not attend the meeting, yesterday said they would still continue with attempts to reconvene a provincial conference.
His former deputy, Thandi Moraka, insisted that the ousted provincial leadership were the authentic league leaders in the province.
The ANC on Thursday also endorsed the league's decision to disband the Eastern Cape leadership after repeated failed attempts to organise a provincial elective conference.
The provincial leaders were also ordered not to go to court again, but first to exhaust internal processes if they had grievances.
Although this court order would now lapse following the agreement reached at Thursday's meeting, the ANC has nevertheless ordered the league's national leaders to enlist the help of the provincial executive committee to organise the conference.
Former Eastern Cape league chairman Mlibo Qoboshiyane did not want to talk about the meeting yesterday, but said "we appreciate the ANC intervention and salute the (national working committee). We are accepting the guidance of the ANC fully."
He also said the league in the province would stay out of the courts as agreed, and "never appreciated going to courts from the very outset".
Youth league secretary-general Vuyiswa Tulelo yesterday said the league would not comment at this stage, while her counterpart in the ANC, Gwede Mantashe, said the party did not talk about its "processes".
The league last weekend held successful elective conferences in North West and Mpumalanga, while its Gauteng conference, which was planned for this weekend, was postponed.
It was also due to hold an elective conference in Free State this weekend, before its national general council at the end of the month.
The turbulence in the youth league was mainly sparked by a bitter power struggle in the ANC, but was now playing itself out indirectly in the league between Malema and his deputy, Andile Lungisa.
Malema and some in his faction want to oust Mantashe and replace him with Malema's friend and predecessor Fikile Mbalula.
But a larger battle is brewing between the nationalists in the ANC - which could broadly and loosely include Malema and Mbalula - and the leftists in Cosatu and the SACP, including Mantashe who is SACP chairman.
The league and its mother body are heading for their separate elective conferences next year and 2012 respectively, amid renewed tensions and bitter divisions.
A scene-setter for the battle will be at the league and ANC's national general councils - mid-term gatherings to review programmes - to be held next month and September respectively.
Southern Africa
Malema Boosted by ANC Brass
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Originally Posted by Gerhardt Maritz
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