ANC mulls over Lungisa, Nombiba

The fate of two ANC councillors with criminal convictions in Nelson Mandela Bay will be discussed by their Eastern Cape bosses on Monday.

A decision on whether the party should ask councillors Andile Lungisa and Bongo Nombiba to step aside while they sort out their legal woes will be decided at the next provincial working committee meeting, according to ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi.

He said officials had not received any communication from the ANC’s national leaders on what to do about public representatives who have been convicted of a crime.

“If there is any decision, we will await that particular communication,” Ngcukayitobi said.

He said people facing criminal charges, according to the ANC’s resolution at the 54th national conference at Nasrec in December, should be asked to step aside.

“The ANC will encourage structures to take those individuals either to the disciplinary committee or the integrity commission, but the ANC should not be represented by people who’ve been found guilty of criminal charges,” Ngcukayitobi said.

Both ANC councillors were convicted – Nombiba for defrauding the municipality of its discretionary fund and Lungisa for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Lungisa and Nombiba are both in the process of appealing against their convictions and sentencing – Nombiba at the Supreme Court of Appeal and Lungisa in the Grahamstown High Court.

Ngcukayitobi said the fate of the two councillors would be discussed at the PWC meeting on Monday.

“Our focus at the next PWC will be on Nelson Mandela Bay and, once that’s done, we will be able to answer some of these questions,” he said.

In April, Nombiba was suspended from party activities, but this excluded his role in council.

“We are aware that Nombiba has [applied to] appeal [against] both conviction and sentence but in the meantime he remains suspended,” Ngcukayitobi said.

Lungisa said reports that the ANC national executive committee had decided he should be ousted were nonsensical.

“A statement will be released on the NEC meeting and that’s what people should read, instead of gossip,” Lungisa said.

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule could not be reached for comment. Deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte did not respond to calls.