Johannesburg - The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) on Friday slammed the two year jail sentence meted out to its former deputy president and ANC) councillor Andile Lungisa as too harsh and "stinking" of racism.
Lungisa was on Wednesday jailed for an effective two years behind bars after the court found he intentionally smashed a glass jug over the head of former mayoral committee member for transport, Rano Kayser during a chaotic 2016 Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting.
Kayser sustained multiple lacerations to his head and neck with pictures at the time showing him drenched in blood. The violent fracas saw councillors received trauma counselling afterwards.
The youth league in a statement said it noted the sentence and while it respected the "independence of the judiciary and rule of law, it "firmly believe that sentence by Magistrate Morne Cannon was too harsh and stinks of racism.
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"It is a well known fact that Cde Lungisa has been an irritation to the DA-led administration in Nelson Mandela Bay metro, and a number of underhand tactics or dirty tricks have been manufactured by the leading White racist elites, mostly sympathetic to the DA, working working hand-in-hand with various dark forces located in powerful positions, to muzzle and silence Cde Lungisa, as a critical voice of the urban poor and homeless people of the Metro.
"The harsh sentence raises not only suspicions, but reinforces our beliefs that the repressive organs of the State, especially the judiciary in his case, to meddle in power politics by different formations over total control of the Metro.
The league added that "The ANCYL NWC will study the merits and demerits of the judgement in order to solicit a proper response, and best form of solidarity and support it can offer Cde Lungisa.
"The youth league, working closely with other component of the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) will continue to work tirelessly to win back the Metro from the DA-led unholy coalition. The DA-led administration has spectacularly demonstrated that it is a party that does not advance the interest of the poor in the Metro, but serves the interests of it members and supporters in opulent and segregated surbubs of the Metro."