Last witnesses will be heard on October 26 before closing arguments start, ANC spokesman Keith Khoza told AFP.

Police guarded the road to the stadium, also the venue of the 2010 Soccer World Cup final, where ANC youth league president Julius Malema faces charges of bringing the ANC in disrepute.

The charge stems from Malema’s call in August for regime change in neighbouring Botswana, which he said had a “puppet government” that was “in full cooperation with imperialists”.

Human Settlements Minister and millionaire businessman Tokyo Sexwale testified during Saturday’s hearing.

Malema’s hearing has dragged on for over a month and was postponed last week when he was hospitalsed for flu-like symptoms.

It was moved to different locations and security beefed up after Malema supporters clashed with police outside the ANC headquarters in the Johannesburg city centre when the hearing opened at the end of August.

Last month a court found Malema guilty of hate speech for singing a song whose lyrics mean “shoot the white farmer”. But he has been given leave to appeal.

The court banned the singing of the song, but the ANC said it also planned to appeal the ruling.