The African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL's) Eastern Cape provincial executive committee (PEC) on Thursday filed legal papers against its national body for disbanding it, the provincial chairperson said.

"Today [Thursday] we have filed legal papers and our legal team has been in the Grahamstown High Court," said ANCYL provincial chairperson Mlibo Qoboshiyane.

"The matter will be heard next week. All that we were supposed to put together we have done so."

The PEC was disbanded by ANCYL general secretary Vuyiswa Tulelo last month after two aborted electoral conferences in the province. A third electoral conference was scheduled for this weekend.

Qoboshiyane said that the disbanded provincial leadership had tried to communicate with the national leadership, but without success, which necessitated the court action.

"The reason why we have decided to take this approach is to observe that there is disregard [by the national leadership] because we have used the internal processes of the organisation," Qoboshiyane said.

"We could see there's a bit of arrogance and taking this matter very lightly."

Qoboshiyane accused the national leadership of risking the organisation's future.

"We can see they don't have regard for this process and they are risking bringing the whole provincial organisation into disrepute."

Despite the court action, Qoboshiyane hoped that the ANC, the league's parent body, would intervene and bring the parties together.