Julius Malema has been stripped of his powers as ANC Youth League president and will have no role to play in the run-up to the ruling party's national conference, where he had hoped to oust South Africa's unpopular President, Jacob Zuma. Yesterday, the ANC's disciplinary appeal committee upheld a decision against Malema handed down in October 2011 - although it seemed to give him hope by saying that he could still argue in mitigation of sentence.