The ANC Women’s League accused Absa board chairperson Wendy Lucas-Bull of being a bully on Wednesday and demanded the bank repay billions from an apartheid-era bailout.

The league was reiterating its demand that Absa pay back the money mentioned in a leaked preliminary report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane into a Reserve Bank bail-out for Bankorp – she suggested Absa pay back R2.25-billion.

Lucas-Bull appears to have angered the ANCWL by suggesting that government ministers and deputy ministers stop commenting about the issue on social media.

“If Absa has managed to mute other political leaders on the matter‚ it should never believe that all political leaders can be muted‚” said a statement issued by league secretary-general Meokgo Matuba.

“The demand by Ms Lucas-Bell (sic) is nothing but Billy (sic) tactics to defend a foreign-owned financial institution at the expense of the citizens of South Africa.”

Meanwhile‚ the ANC Youth League has planned another protest against the financial services company on Friday alongside the ANCWL.

“The ANCWL will intensify its demands to Absa beyond the borders of SA. In solidarity‚ ANCWL supporters beyond the borders of SA will be encouraged to picket and occupy all branches of Barclays subsidiaries until Absa pays back the money with interest to the South African Government‚” said the statement.

The league added that the defenders of “white monopoly capital will not be accorded any respect nor trust by the ANCWL in the struggle for radical economic transformation”.

Last month‚ the ANCYL staged various protests across the country outside Absa establishments and called for South Africans to call the bank’s call centres and ask when they intend to pay back the money. – TMG Digital/TimesLIVE