President Zuma makes a surprise visit to ANC Nelson Mandela Bay conference
The election of Andile Lungisa as the new ANC Nelson Mandela Bay chair was boosted by a surprise visit from ANC President Jacob Zuma. Lungisa has also defended his decision to stand for the position despite the party’s constitution barring him from doing so.
Luthuli House wrote a letter to the former Youth League Deputy President reminding him that no member who serves at a higher level may serve on a lower structure. Lungisa is also a member of the Provincial Executive Committee.
In bold defiance of the national directive, Andile Lungisa accepted his nomination for the ANC regional leadership in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Just hours after Lungisa said he would be pulling out of the race, he accepted the nomination following intense deliberations with delegates.
Lungisa was elected when 71 voted in favour of his nomination, out of 129 delegates.
Lungisa will now have to resign from the Provincial Executive Committee, as per the party’s constitution.
The region has been without a regional body for two years after President Jacob Zuma disbanded it when deep factions led to disunity.
Andile Lungisa claims victory in Nelson Mandela Bay
The newly-elected leaders in the region held their first conference on Sunday, just hours after they were announced.
Referring to the Democratic Alliance (DA) as a mortal enemy and their new campaign as radical, they outlined their plans for the hotly contested metro.
Their first order of business is crime and land expropriation without compensation.
The issue of land is going to be dominant, starting on Monday, vowed new regional leader Andile Lungisa.
“We are going make sure that all vacant land is acquired quickly, so that even youngsters have access to land,” he said.
“Section 25 of the Constitution must be amended,” he said, in direct contradiction to a decision made by the ANC in Parliament in February.
Land expropriation without compensation was a priority, the new leadership said.
Crime was also a primary concern, he said. They were going to pull on tackies, wear tracksuits and walk the streets every day, taking them back from gangsters, criminals and “amagintsa”.
“We are going to liberate the whole area and we are going to make crime our first priority,” he said.
Other priorities were economic transformation, he said, and unseating the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“We never fought to sing anthems and wave flags. The time for DA is over,” he said.
He said they were going to visit City Hall every day in marches against the DA, until the party gave up.
During September 2014 the former National Youth Development Agency head Andile Lungisa and three others appeared in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court on charges of fraud and money laundering.
During October 2016 Nelson Mandela Bay Ward 19 ANC councillor Gamalihleli Maqula, 28, and fellow ANC councillor Andile Lungisa, 39, were arrested to face charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after their involvement in a council brawl. They had handed themselves over at the Humewood police station before 9am and were then arrested, charged and taken to court in an unmarked police vehicle. Both were released on R1 000 bail.
Alan Straton
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Just wondering where he is going to find time to do the much needed work when he is marching to the city hall every day? Surely there is a much better way in spending one’s time and acquiring the support of the community/voters.
Aaah but now that sounds like work that doesn’t get your name in the papers…. Tantruming children know how to get noticed.