Johannesburg — AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) Youth League president Julius Malema said yesterday Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi would not have an easy ride into the ANC's national executive committee (NEC).

Malema is the first ANC leader to comment on Vavi's willingness to serve on the NEC. Vavi has previously declined nomination to the NEC and the South African Communist Party's central executive committee, saying that serving on the allies' structures would make him unable to serve the union federation independently.

Last year, Vavi told Cosatu delegates he would accept nomination in the future and not decline the opportunity to serve in the ANC as he had in the past.

But Vavi will step down as Cosatu general secretary in 2012, hence his decision to make himself available to serve on the NEC.

Malema said Vavi had shown he did not "properly understand" how the ANC worked because he had said he was available for an NEC position when he did not hold a leadership position at branch level. Branches vote leaders into the NEC.

"I am saying (Vavi) must go to a branch (first)," Malema said.

Succession in the ANC has seen several senior party and alliance leaders pitted against each other. Cosatu has complained about the youth league's campaign to remove secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and replace him with Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Even after President Jacob Zuma tried to gag discussion on the issue, several ANC leaders have continued their public campaigns. Yesterday, Malema also repeated the denial by the ANC that there were plans in the party to oust its leaders at September's National General Council, a claim he made last week.

"No one will remove Zuma. If you want to survive in the ANC you must support Zuma, and, by the way, he's the only one (of the ANC's 'top six' leaders) who's certain for 2012 ... Of the top six there is one who will not come back after 2012. The ANC is not a party that will be ruled by communism," Malema said.

This was a reference to Mantashe, although Malema also said there was no effort to remove Mantashe from his position.

Malema again denied he was guilty of tax evasion and said those of his companies for which no tax clearance certificates had been submitted were "dormant". "Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has a right to take everything in my (bank) account and give it to the poor ... if I do not pay taxes, I am asking to get arrested."