SCA dismisses Lungisa’s appeal

Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Andile Lungisa’s attempts to overturn an effective two years imprisonment for smashing a glass jug against the head of DA councillor Rano Kayser was dismissed on Wednesday.

The decision was published by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) after 3pm.

Lungisa was convicted in 2018 for assaulting Kayser during a heated council brawl in 2016.

The court found no basis to interfere with the sentence imposed by the trial court as it found that the crime committed by Lungisa was serious and had devastating consequences.

The court found that he did not behave in a manner expected of a councillor and that he failed to take responsibility for his actions and showed a total lack of remorse.

Earlier, Lungisa extended an olive branch and requested a meeting with ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi to discuss his suspension from the party.

He was handed the  suspension letter on Tuesday at the Port Elizabeth airport by ANC regional task team co-ordinator Luyolo Nqakula.

In the letter, Ngcukayitobi told Lungisa he had until Thursday to resign as a councillor in Nelson Mandela Bay and that he had been suspended from the party.

In response, Lungisa wrote to Ngcukayitobi asking that they meet.

“Instead of me resorting to clashing with my leadership, I prefer if we could meet to resolve these issues around the table and in terms of the ANC’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms,” he said.

“I also cannot accept that my ANC membership has been suspended ... I am extending the proverbial olive branch.”

His suspension and recall  are related to his 2018 conviction for assaulting DA councillor Rano Kayser during a heated council brawl in 2016.

Lungisa was found guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after he intentionally smashed a full glass water jug over Kayser’s head.