Troubled ANC councillor Lunga Nombexeza has taken leave of absence from his SACP district secretary position as he fights his attempted murder case, the party announced on Thursday.
Nombexeza is accused of shooting at Lukhanyo Mdana, 42, while driving down Pityana Street in KwaNobuhle on December 12 and is now out on bail.
In a statement, SACP Mbuyiselo Ngwenda district spokesperson Lazola Pukwana said they had met on Wednesday and resolved to accept Nombexeza’s leave of absence request.
“The meeting welcomed the report by Nombexeza on his criminal charges and supported his desire to take leave of absence.
“The district secretary understands that the restrictive bail conditions and the dark cloud over his head would make it difficult for him to carry out his political work.”
Attempts to get comment from the Ward 50 councillor were unsuccessful by print deadline as he does not have a cellphone and did not respond to an e-mail.
On Tuesday, the Nelson Mandela Bay ANC regional task team (RTT) had also endorsed a report that recommended that Nombexeza should step aside.
It is not immediately clear whether recommending he step aside meant Nombexeza should resign as Ward 50 councillor — a move that would pave the way for a by-election in Uitenhage.
ANC RTT co-ordinator Luyolo Nqakula welcomed the decision to take a leave of absence but declined to comment until upper ANC structures had dealt with the Nombexeza matter.
Nombexeza was dragged into a disciplinary inquiry in December after he was released on bail in his attempted murder case.
The disciplinary inquiry report dated January 11, seen by The Herald, which was discussed by the ANC regional task team on Tuesday, also said Nombexeza was accused by the Local Business Committee of interfering in the awarding of temporary housing units tenders in Ward 29.
Nombexeza appeared before regional leaders and provincial deployees in December.
The report recommended that:
- Nombexeza be requested to step aside and a caretaker councillor be appointed to run the ward’s affairs;
- The PEC through the provincial disciplinary committee establish whether Nombexeza’s conduct does not violate the terms of his suspended sentence; and
- ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi write to co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Xolile Nqatha to determine whether Nombexeza had not breached the councillors’ code of conduct.
The suspended sentence refers to how Nombexeza was found guilty of insulting ANC MPL Thabo Matiwane and Ngcukayitobi.
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