Lungisa blasts ANC leadership for ‘arrogance of numbers’

ANC national executive committee member and Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral hopeful Andile Lungisa has accused the party’s provincial leadership of reneging on long-standing political agreements.

Lungisa warned that the growing influence of outside factions was fuelling divisions in the region.

Speaking at the funeral on Friday of ward 27 councillor Sicelo Mleve, who was murdered last Saturday, Lungisa said the Eastern Cape ANC had effectively been “put on mute” as established regional agreements were being ignored in favour of the “arrogance of numbers”.

He claimed an accord that had historically balanced the interests of different constituencies in the province was no longer being respected, with dominant factions using their numbers to sideline others.

“Here they are snatching the ANC away from the region, undermining the accord.

“The accord in the Eastern Cape was a measure of different constituencies.

“The comrades across the Kei River are not honouring that accord, but what they’re doing instead is utilising their numbers to undermine other constituencies that were part of the struggle.

“That’s why, when you don’t discuss and consult the accord and you’re heading to a conference, people use their numbers for their own preferred outcomes in conferences you’ll have the problems we’re seeing now in the ANC in the province.”

Provincial leaders Oscar Mabuyane and Lulama Ngcukayitobi have been embroiled in a bitter leadership battle, with both wanting to contest the position of provincial chair — Mabuyane for a third term.

This leadership race has been the subject of litigation in which Luthuli House has suffered several losses, including being stopped from convening a provincial conference at the 11th hour in March.

This week the courts ruled that the formation of a provincial task team (PTT) led by Mabuyane was unlawful.

TimesLIVE reported that the ANC national working committee (NWC) had instructed secretary-general Fikile Mbalula to come up with a political solution for the impasse.

A solution, Lungisa agrees with.

The NWC has told Mbalula that, given the losses the party has suffered, the next step should be to find a political solution.

One of the most impactful rulings was that any decision made by the PTT since its formation has been deemed null and void.

“The ANC in the Eastern Cape has been put on mute,” Lungisa said.

“The ANC in the province requires a political solution. You need what is called a ‘political discussion’, not to address our political challenges through numbers, using what is called the ‘arrogance of numbers’ to resolve complex issues.”

He said the divisions at a provincial level had infiltrated the region, warning members not to allow provincial politics to sow discord among them.

“This region has never endorsed candidates from outside.

“You get to the region, they’re singing about Ngcukayitobi. You get to the region, they’re singing about Mabuyane. This is a foreign tendency.

“We’ve always said you don’t cross Colchester. We’ve always debated among ourselves who we’re endorsing.

“If comrades continue bringing in leaders [from outside], they will collapse this region and the constituency. Let’s not allow that,” Lungisa said.