South African police used stun grenades and water cannon on Tuesday to disperse thousands of supporters of outspoken ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema who is locked in a party disciplinary hearing that could derail his political career. Scores of Malema supporters hurled rocks and beer bottles at police and burned African National Congress (ANC) flags and posters of President Jacob Zuma outside the party headquarters in central Johannesburg.
Malema's disciplinary hearing is a gamble for Zuma. Malema helped him rise to power but has in recent months been courted by Zuma's rivals and is seen as a potential future leader. If he is exonerated, Zuma could be fighting for his political life. The violence, in which at least one policeman and several journalists were wounded, was the worst near the headquarters of South Africa's ruling party since apartheid ended in 1994, ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe said.
"We are not intimidated. If this is an attempt to intimidate, it is not working," Mantashe said, blaming the Youth League for the violence. "Whoever brought this crowd here will have to take responsibility." Malema, wearing a black T-shirt and beret, told supporters during a break in his hearing they should show restraint, respect the ANC leadership and not burn party flags and hurl rocks. "We must exercise restraint," Malema said.
He told supporters that journalists should not be harmed as they were not the enemy. "You must know who is the enemy," Malema said before he was drowned out by youth league members shouting: "Zuma is the enemy". If found guilty of sowing discord in party ranks by the hearing - Malema's second disciplinary hearing in just over a year - the youth leader could be suspended from the party for several years.
Expulsion would silence his calls for nationalisation of the mining sector, to the relief of investors, but would anger thousands of his supporters. By late Tuesday afternoon, police had contained the several thousand protesters - including children in school uniforms - behind razor wire barricades near the ANC building.
At least one police officer was hit by a brick, a police spokesman said, and the domestic eNEWS channel said one of its television crews was attacked. Two photographers were also attacked with rocks, the SAPA news agency reported. Mantashe told reporters Tuesday's violence was the worst since 1994 when several people were killed during a march on the building by supporters of the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party.
The protesters earlier tried to break through the police barricades towards the building in downtown Johannesburg where the hearing was taking place. They waved placards saying: "Hands off Julius Malema" and one reading: "We are prepared to take arms and kill for Malema". Another placard read: "Zuma is a liability for Africa".
Analysts said the violence might have been orchestrated. "Malema is prepared to gamble everything on making his disciplining and removal from the party as costly as possible." The hearing is as risky for Zuma, who hopes to be re-elected ANC leader at a party meeting in December 2012, as it is for Malema, who party insiders say ultimately wants the country's top job. Analysts said the ANC waited too long to rein Malema in.
"Today is therefore a show of power by Zuma and the current ANC leadership against them - which they need to win and make up for letting this drag on for so long," said Nomura International emerging markets economist Peter Attard Montalto. Zuma is on a state visit to Norway this week.
The disciplinary panel is led by senior ANC member Derek Hanekom and includes mines minister Susan Shabangu, who has criticised Malema's calls for nationalisation. In another sign of the party turning against him, former ANC guerrillas issued a statement condemning the violence.