The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in the provinces have reaffirmed that Julius Malema should serve a second term as president of the ANC's youth wing, the league said on Friday.

"Each province had reaffirmed him [Malema] as president for the next term at the provincial congresses," said ANCYL spokesperson Magdalene Moonsamy.

This followed Malema announcing at a news conference in Johannesburg on Thursday that his term as president was coming to an end next year.

The Witness website had quoted him saying: "My term ends next year and I think those who hate me so much, should celebrate.

"If they have decided to extend it to June, then that's fine too. In June next year I will be done as president of the youth league."

Moonsamy said that Malema's comments were taken out of context.

Malema said that the decision to stay on as ANCYL president next year was not up to him but was up to the league as a whole, she said.

"In his loyalty and discipline to the movement he said that he can't just make the decision to stay president, it was up to the league."

There was no unwritten rule in the leagues constitution against Malema serving another term, she said.

The ANCYL in a statement reiterated that Malema had never said he would not be available for re-election as president.

In response to a journalist's question on succession possibilities he said that the term he was currently serving as president would end in 2011.

At the 2011 national conference of the ANCYL, a new national executive committee would be elected.

"As a matter of principle, ANCYL president will never betray the call of branches of the ANCYL," the league said.

The Northern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and Eastern Cape had already resolved that Malema should be available for re-election in 2011.

Malema was elected president of the ANCYL in April 2008 and his term ends in April 2011.