The African National Congress (ANC) closed ranks on ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's reported disciplinary hearing on Monday, refusing to confirm or deny that it was taking place.

Weekend reports quoted national executive committee member Derek Hanekom as saying that Malema had been served notice of the hearing for Monday, and was expected to attend.

However, party spokesperson Brian Sokutu said that nothing would be said about the "matter" - not even to say that Hanekom had been inaccurately quoted on the existence of the hearing.

If necessary, a statement would be issued at a later date.

"We're not going to be commenting any further on this matter. It is an internal ANC matter, resolved within the structures of the ANC."

While the Independent Online reported at noon that the disciplinary proceedings had started, Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu insisted that he knew nothing about reports that Malema would have to answer to party elders on some of his recent public utterances.

These included adapting an anti-apartheid song, to sing the lyrics "shoot the boer", which has frightened farmers and Afrikaners, who feel that they are being targeted; shouting at a BBC journalist that he was a "bastard" and should leave a press conference, and publicly supporting Zanu-PF during delicate political settlement talks between the party and Movement for Democratic Change formations in Zimbabwe.

Shivambu said: "What are you talking about? Where do you get all these things?" when asked to clarify conflicting reports on Malema's attendance.

He claimed to know nothing about the matter, and said that he had not even read newspaper reports on it.

He said that he did not even read newspapers, when asked if Hanekom's quotes were possibly inaccurate.

He referred all queries to Hanekom, who was not immediately available for comment but who told the IOL: "The hearing is scheduled to take place (Monday), as I have consistently said, and I don't have any further comment."

Shivambu said that the three earlier statements the league sent, in his name, reacting to weekend reports on its financial arm, Lembede, and lobbying for provincial chairman posts, were based on news clippings sent to him, and maintained that he did not read newspapers and so did not know what journalists were talking about over the Malema meeting.

"I am not a white newspaper reading person," he said, before cutting the call.