Andile Lungisa to campaign for ANC after his suspension lifted

FORMER ANC councillor Andile Lungisa said yesterday he was ready to get his hands dirty again by campaigning for his party after the national disciplinary committee (NDC) overturned the suspension of his membership.

Last week, the national disciplinary committee upheld Lungisa’s appeal after he argued that the party’s Eastern Cape disciplinary committee had contravened the ANC’s constitution when they served him with charges outside the prescribed six-month period set down by the party.

NDC chairperson Nocawe Mafu agreed with Lungisa’s submission. Mafu also said that the provincial disciplinary committee (PDC) was also not properly constituted prior to referring disciplinary charges against Lungisa and three others – Phendule Mbewu, Nolusapho Nikani and Tobeka Dumisa.

In his reaction to the ruling, Lungisa yesterday said he was very happy that the ANC had defended its constitution, saying the NDC had handled his appeal in a transparent manner.

“The NDC followed the guidelines of the ANC’s constitution. My focus now is to campaign for the party in the upcoming local government elections. We will be campaigning for the victory of ANC councillors in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro,” Lungisa said.

Lungisa was placed on 18 months’ suspension by the ANC in the Eastern Cape following his conviction for assaulting a DA councillor during a disruptive Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality meeting in 2016.

The Grahamstown High Court in 2018 sentenced Lungisa to three years in jail, of which one was suspended, for smashing a water jug over the head of DA councillor Ryno Kayser.

In his bid to fight his suspension by his party, Lungisa made several failed attempts in the High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, and his appeal to the Constitutional Court was dismissed on December 3 last year.

He began his prison sentence immediately after the dismissal of his application by the Constitutional Court.

The ANC Eastern Cape disciplinary committee found him guilty in absentia for contravening the party’s constitution, and his membership was suspended for 18 months.