Pietermaritzburg - About 30 ANC members staging a sit-in at the party's Moses Mabhida regional office in Pietermaritzburg were arrested on Monday night, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
They would appear in the city's magistrate's court on Tuesday on a charge of contempt of court, following a High Court order on Friday which barred them from occupying the offices, Pietermaritzburg central police station head Brigadier Johan Reynders said.
The group had been occupying the premises since May, demanding the removal of local leaders put into office after the local government elections.
“As some of our comrades have been arrested we are going to hand ourselves over to the police because we also want to be arrested,” party member Sibongile Mkhize said. She had been at the forefront of the campaign aimed at removing current members of the regional executive committee (REC).
“We maintain that this tainted leadership should be removed from ANC structures.”
The police engaged the services of a locksmith to prevent them entering the offices again. - Sapa