South African Police Battle Stone-Throwing Protesters

Police detonated stun grenades and fired water canon Tuesday at hundreds of stone-throwing members of the ruling party's youth league as its leaders were brought before a disciplinary committee.

The youth league's feisty and powerful president, Julius Malema, and five other officers have angered party leaders with plans to send a committee to neighboring Botswana to help oust the government of democratically elected President Ian Khama. They said in a statement that Khama was cooperating with "imperialists" and undermining "the African agenda."

Malema said the youth league would help bring about regime change in Botswana.

This embarrassed President Jacob Zuma and his ruling African National Congress, which has been leading condemnations of the United States, Britain and France for allegedly abusing a U.N. resolution to effect regime change in Libya.

"Zuma must go!" protesters chanted, reflecting anger at the disciplining of Malema and general disappointment that the South African leader has failed to fulfill election promises to confront the economic powerhouse's growing inequality and poverty, marked by massive unemployment among young people.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the violent confrontations that took place a block from the party headquarters in downtown Johannesburg and lasted about 45 minutes.