The ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay says it will conduct an investigation into the eligibility of its suspended member, Andile Lungisa, to serve in any structure of the party. Lungisa has been elected as the Branch Chairperson for Ward 2 in Nelson Mandela Bay during a Branch General Meeting (BGM).
The membership of the former ANCYL Deputy President was suspended last year. He was also asked to resign as a councillor and Ward 2 branch leader after he was convicted for assaulting a DA councillor with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Lungisa was sentenced to two years in prison for smashing DA councillor Ryno Kayser with a glass jug in the head. The incident happened during a brawl at a council meeting in 2016. He was released on parole in December after serving only two months.
Conditions of his membership suspension included that he doesn’t represent the party in any public gatherings.
However, he says his membership was never suspended.
“Remember, my case was a political case. That is why the ANC assisted in securing the legal team which represented me when I was going to court. I became a victim of that legal team. A person that is supposed to be aggrieved to complain against the ANC is myself. The ANC cannot complain against me, because I‘m a victim of a process of my own organisation, but I’m not cry-baby like a small boy.”
The ANC Regional Task Team has confirmed that it has received a report that Lungisa has been elected as a branch chairperson. The region says branch members can raise disputes they might have with the party.
Regional Task Team Coordinator, Luyolo Nqakula, says they will assess whether there was compliance or not during the meeting.
“Part of the processes of which will ensue post the convening of the bi-annual general meeting and that BGM is the verification of that particular meeting, also to ensure that it has met all the compliances as per dictates of the new membership system, as per constitutionality of that particular meeting,” adds Nqakula.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Region will be holding its elective conference next month. Lungisa’s nomination as Ward 2 Chairperson opens up a window for him to contest any position in the upcoming Regional Elective Conference.
In the last elective conference, he was elected as chairperson for the region before he was instructed to resign. At the time, he was also a Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) member.
Former ANC councillor briefs the media following his release on parole:
