The ANC Youth League wants the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to stop breakaway leader Terror Lekota from referring to its president Julius Malema's controversial "kill for Zuma" comments, saying it violated the league's integrity.

"We believe that the continued allegations and utterances by Mr Lekota that the ANCYL or any of its members are potential murderers and/or assassins violate our rights to integrity as individual members of the ANCYL and as an organisation," the league said in a statement on Monday.

Lekota, and other speakers at this weekend's SA National Convention, which set a date for the formation of a new political party, honed in on Malema's statement at a Youth Day rally on 16 June as behaviour that they found unacceptable within the ANC.

The SAHRC had to deal with complaints after Malema made the comment, and more complaints came when Congress of SA Trade Unions secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi appeared to use similar words at the funeral of a political associate.

The commission was seen to lose some of its punch when it accepted Malema's assurance that he would not use the word kill again, and Vavi's explanation that he had been selectively quoted as he expressed unwavering support for ANC comrades.

Continued reference to Malema's statement has been described as "Malemaphobia" by the ANC, which said it had discussed and settled the matter with Malema.

Sapa