EAST LONDON - The African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape will act against Nelson Mandela Bay councillor, Andile Lungisa, who has refused to vacate his mayoral committee position, ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said on Tuesday.
Lungisa was ordered to step down from Nelson Mandela Bay metro's mayoral committee following a decision by the ANC national executive committee (NEC) that he could not hold a political executive position after he was convicted of assault.
Lungisa was found guilty in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court for assault after hitting Democratic Alliance councillor, Rano Kayser, over his head with a glass jug. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment but appealed the judgment in the Grahamstown High Court.
Lungisa said he was also appealing the NEC decision to remove him from the mayoral committee. However, Ngcukayitobi said he was unaware of the appeal to the NEC and that the process to remove Lungisa was being implemented.
"The provincial working committee is going to act and implement the ANC NEC decision," Ngcukayitobi said.
He said it was made clear to Lungisa that he could not serve on any municipal executive structure while he had a court judgment against him. "The removal of Lungisa is in line with ANC deployment policy which says people that have court judgments against them cannot serve in any executive authority positions," Ngcukayitobi said.
He said Lungisa can remain as an ordinary ANC councillor until the court rules on his appeal.