ANC Eastern Cape strongmen told to step down after 'wrongdoing'

The ANC national working committee (NWC) has called on two party strongmen in the Eastern Cape to step aside after being implicated in wrongdoing.

The NWC reiterated calls by the party's national executive committee (NEC) for controversial ANC leader Andile Lungisa to step down as MMC for infrastructure and engineering in the Nelson Mandela Metro council.

It also resolved that Buffalo City regional chairperson Pumlani Mkolo step aside for his involvement in the Nelson Mandela funeral funds scandal.

The NWC, following its meeting on Monday, resolved that Lungisa must "resign as member of the mayoral committee of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and remain as an ordinary councillor until his court appeal process is concluded".

On Mkolo, it said the suspension sanction against him by the party's integrity committee, handed down in 2015, would stand until and if the NEC, to which he had appealed, ventilated the appeal and found differently.

Lungisa has been under fire since his appointment to the position by NMB executive mayor Mongameli Bobani in August following the removal of Athol Trollip via a vote of no confidence. This was despite the dark cloud hanging over Lungisa who was convicted for assaulting a fellow councillor but has since appealed against the sentence.

"The NWC further noted the implementation of the NEC decision directing comrade Andile Lungisa to resign as a member of the mayoral committee of the Nelson Mandela Metro and remain as an ordinary councillor until his court appeal process is concluded," the NWC statement read.

The structure further affirmed the decision of the Eastern Cape provincial executive committee (PEC) to dissolve the NMB regional executive committee (REC) - Lungisa's main backers. The regional committee had appealed against the PEC decision but that was dismissed by the ANC national dispute resolution committee.