Bay SACP defies Nqatha's order to suspend officials

THE SA Communist Party (SACP) in Nelson Mandela Bay has defied an instruction to suspend its regional chairman and secretary, dismissing the suspension letter as nothing but a "love letter".

The regional communists resolved at a special council meeting on Monday to ignore the letter sent by provincial secretary Xolile Nqatha last Thursday.

The letter was to suspend chairman Zilindile Tambo and secretary Nokuthula Tetyana after the regional structure threatened to take the municipality to court to challenge city manager Mpilo Mbambisa's appointment.

The regional and provincial SACP have been at loggerheads for months now with Tetyana going against the provincial structure's advice, announcing in July last year that they had suspended relations with the ANC regional executive committee. -