ANC local municipality chief whip Lindelwa Penisi under fire for insulting public

The ANC's Raymond Mhlaba municipality chief whip, Lindelwa Penisi, has come under fire after she was caught on video swearing at members of the public.

In a now-viral video, Penisi is seen shouting and swearing at residents who were pleading for water in Fort Beaufort's ward 20.

In the video, Penisi can be heard shouting in isiXhosa: “I don't care, you can call all those who voted for me. Go ahead, you piece of sh*t. You can buy your own water tanks. F**k you, you uncircumcised boy from Matatiele. Go get circumcised. I am not scared of you.”

A man in the background can be heard asking, “Are you insulting all of us?". 

To which Penisi responded by saying, “Yes, I am. You didn't vote for me. I don't give a damn!”

On Tuesday, member of the DA's provincial legislature in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, councillor Nomvano Zibonda, said Penisi must be removed as a public representative.

“No public representative should ever conduct themselves in such a disgraceful manner. The words uttered by councillor Penisi are reflective of a person who has no understanding of their responsibilities as a public representative and shows a complete lack of compassion for the desperate people of this municipality,” said Zibonda in a statement.

Zibonda said the community is in dire need of water and the public does not need to be chastised and sworn at.

“ I will write to the Eastern Cape MEC to request that councillor Penisi be immediately removed from the Raymond Mhlaba council,” she said.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape said it was aware of the video and had recalled Penisi.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this un-ANC behaviour and will never be tolerated. Disciplinary processes will be instituted against councillor Penisi,” the party said in a statement.

“Such abhorrent behaviour makes a complete mockery of the office she holds and is contemptuous to the people of Raymond Mhlaba Municipality and the constituency she represents.

“We will at all times defend our people’s hard-won democracy and protect it against those who are clearly working relentlessly to undermine it.”