Supporters of the disbanded ANC regional executive committee stormed the gates of the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton on Wednesday, disrupting a meeting meant to introduce the regional task team led by Nceba Faku.
Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi called all ANC branch leaders in Nelson Mandela Bay to meet members of the task team, which included a few members of the old regional executive committee.
But supporters of the ousted regional executive arrived at the Nangoza Jebe Hall and stopped the meeting from taking place, prompting members of the task team to lock themselves inside.
There was a heavy police presence but when things seemed to calm down, the officers left, prompting supporters of the old executive to lock the gates and prevent members of the task team and their supporters from leaving.
Police were called back to the hall armed with shotguns, which angered the protesters, who shouted: “This is not Marikana. You won’t kill us.”
Two ANC supporters mocked police by lying in front of them and playing dead while another person pretended to resuscitate them.
Addressing ANC supporters, ward 7 branch secretary Nick Nama said they would not lose the metro to “thieves” in the task team.
“We know who these people are and we can point them out any time. We’re not afraid of Nceba Faku, Zandisile Qupe, Tony Duba and Fikile Desi,” Nama said.
“We want Cyril Ramaphosa, our president that we respect to come and address us.”
Meanwhile, the ANC’s Eastern Cape leaders will be in the metro on Friday next week to “once and for all” deal with councillor Andile Lungisa’s refusal to step down from the mayoral committee.
Lungisa has been instructed to resign as a mayoral committee member and to continue as an ordinary councillor while he appeals against his assault conviction and sentence.
He was given until Friday, November 23, to step down, but has yet to do so.
The disbanded regional executive was told in October that Lungisa should step down, but it failed to implement this decision.
On Wednesday, Ngcukayitobi said the party’s decision that Lungisa resign would be implemented despite his defiance.
“We’re not under pressure. If the ANC has made a decision regarding one of its members, that decision will be implemented,” he said.
“We’re coming to PE very soon ‘sizokumResign(isa)’ [make him resign],” he said.
Lungisa, who earlier wrote to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s office querying the decision, said he was waiting for official communication from Magashule regarding the call for him to resign.
On Wednesday, Ngcukayitobi said Lungisa had received the letter from Magashule that he should step down more than a week ago and might be walking around with it.
Asked if he had received such a letter, Lungisa would not say. “My issue is it is an ANC internal matter which is being dealt with internally by the national office,” he said.
He refused to speak further on the matter.
Faku said the provincial body was dealing with the Lungisa issue and the regional task team was not involved.