ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is the victim of "a sustained campaign in the media" and inaccurate media reports that "belittle" him, the ruling party said on Tuesday.

Malema, probably best know for his infamous "kill for Zuma" statements, was misunderstood by the media, the ANC national working committee said in a statement issued after its weekly Monday meeting.

"The NWC discussed what appears to be a sustained campaign in the media to belittle ANC Youth League President Julius Malema, and to position him and the Youth League as being at odds with the policies of the ANC," the NWC said.

"It noted that the media has a tendency to cover comments made by Malema in a selective and often inaccurate manner, ignoring the consistent policy pronouncements of the ANC Youth League."

Malema has been described as a liability to the ANC because of his wild rhetoric.

It started last year when he said the youth league would kill for ANC leader Jacob Zuma. Since then -- apparently after ANC leaders rebuked him in private -- he has replaced the word "kill" with "eliminate" in similar statements.

Zuma recently told the SABC that he had advised Malema to stop making controversial statements.

Malema's statements had been used as ammunition by the ANC's breakaway party, the Congress of the People, whose leader Terror Lekota has accused the youth leader of acting in an unconstitutional manner.

More recently, Malema accused Northern Cape premier Dipuo Peters of being "bought" by business. He also called Cope co-leader Mbhazima Shilowa, the former premier of Gauteng, a "security guard" who had defaulted on child support payments.

"The ANC will continue to engage in a frank manner with the leadership of the ANC Youth League to provide political support and guidance, so that the league functions as an effective training ground for a new generation of cadres," the ANC said.