Pule Mabe.

• The ANC spokesperson accused ANC councillor Andile Lungisa of fighting factional battles in the media. 
• Pule Mabe was responding to a letter seen on social media in which Lungisa called for President Ramaphosa to present himself to the integrity committee.
• Lungisa said the CR17 campaign was a long outstanding matter in the party.

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe has accused Andile Lungisa of fighting factional battles, after the latter called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to present himself to the party’s integrity committee. 

Speaking to News24, Mabe said there was nothing revolutionary about writing a letter to the party’s leaders and publishing it on social media, if Lungisa was a disciplined member of the ANC and acted in the interests of the ANC. 

“Anyone who acts in the interest of the movement, will address the ANC and accord the movement an opportunity to deal with such matters. It is quite disappointing that a member of the ANC in good standing would find it easy to do what comrade Andile has done.” 

In a letter seen by News24, Lungisa – a controversial figure in the ANC and a strong ally of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule – requested that national party officials attend to “a long outstanding matter which has to do with the alleged money which has to do with the alleged use for the campaign to be an ANC president”.

Lungisa was a council member of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and had been convicted of aggravated assault after breaking a glass jar on a DA council member. He was currently appealing the conviction.

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Lungisa said the CR17 campaign happened while Ramaphosa was on record speaking against ANC members buying and using money to influence the outcomes of the ANC’s Nasrec elective conference.

The letter came after News24 reported on Tuesday that the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) held a meeting, where, according to one party insider, a letter Ramaphosa penned to party members, received support.

In the letter, Ramaphosa called for members implicated in acts of wrongdoing to present themselves to the integrity committee. It’s also expected that corruption and the NWC’s recommendation for those implicated in corruption would dominate this weekend’s NEC meeting. 

Mabe said Lungisa’s letter to the national officials was received, but the standing of that letter was now compromised.

“We no longer know who is supposed to respond. The process you undertake to raise issues will determine the response you get, you don’t howl at the ANC, you speak to the ANC. Instead of the ANC having to look at the letter, the ANC will have to go and say ‘the manner in which this letter came to us, is it consistent with the rules of the organisation’?

“We are dealing with an erroneous process of dealing with the ANC. Here is an erroneous process of engaging the leadership of the ANC. The leadership of the ANC is being howled at on what appears and comes across as a factional line,” he said.