A disciplinary committee of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has upheld the suspension of Julius Malema, the firebrand leader of the organization's youth wing.

The 30-year-old Malema has been leading a campaign to nationalize the country's mines and forcibly turn white-own land over to blacks.

In November, Malema was handed a five-year suspension for causing divisions within the ANC and bringing it into disrepute.  Though once a supporter of South African President Jacob Zuma, Malema has recently gone on the attack against the Zuma administration.

A hearing on mitigating Malema's sentence is to be held in two weeks.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.