Ugly scenes at ANC council meeting as cops bar councillors

TENSION in the ANC once again played itself out in public when armed police officers barred councillors and residents of the Nkonkobe local municipality from attending an ordinary council meeting this week.

On Tuesday municipal manager Anele Ntsangani and mayor Khanyile Maneli allegedly instructed the police to control access to the council chambers in Alice ahead of the meeting there.

The move was designed to enforce the ANC's suspension of some of its members, including council speaker Joe Ndlebe.

The meeting was meant to consider the municipality's draft Integrated Development Plan and budget for the next financial year.

Democratic Alliance member William Ward said officers were controlling access to the council chamber. He described the scene at the chamber, in Alice's main street, saying: "The atmosphere was one of intimidation and fear. I felt unsafe."

Ward, who is also DA caucus leader in Nkonkobe, expressed concern that police were called in on internal ANC issues.

Ndlebe confirmed the incident, saying the police had told him there were instructions to prevent him from attending the meeting because of his suspension by the ANC's provincial leadership.

He is one of many ANC members from Amathole district who have been suspended following their alleged involvement in an attack at the party's provincial headquarters in King William's Town.

The incident marks the third time that ANC fights have taken over council meetings over the past two months, as similar incidents have taken place in the Amahlathi and Mbhashe local authorities.

ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane slammed the action, saying Ntsangani and Maneli were not acting on instructions from the province.