ANC should remove Eastern Cape leader who swore at residents – DA

The DA said it would petition for former ANC chief whip Lindelwa Penisi to be permanently removed from the Raymond Mhlaba municipality after she was caught on tape hurling insults at residents in Fort Beaufort on Sunday.

The DA’s constituency leader in the municipality, Nomvano Zibonda, said she would write to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Xolile Nqata requesting him to fire Penisi.

This comes as the party said it was shocked to learn that Penisi who, while recalled by the ANC as the party’s chief whip as result of the verbal tirade, would remain in council.

Also read: WATCH: ANC recalls municipality chief whip over ‘F**k you, you uncircumcised boy!’

Zibonda said Penisi should not be allowed to stay on as a public representative.

In a statement, Zibonda said: “The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the removal of Raymond Mhlaba Municipality Ward 20 Councillor, Cllr Lindelwa Penisi, as the Chief Whip of Council, but is shocked to learn that the ANC has decided to keep her on as a public representative.”

On Monday, a video emerged showing Penisi hurling insults at residents holding water buckets in an open field.

She was then removed as the party’s chief whip and the ANC announced it would take further disciplinary action.

In the video, Penisi could be heard swearing at a resident that he was an uncircumcised boy from Matatiele.

“I don’t care, you can call all those who voted for me. Go ahead, you piece of sh*t,” an angry Penisi can be heard shouting in isiXhosa.

“Hey you, you don’t have a right to say anything because you never voted for me. F**k you, you uncircumcised boy. Go get circumcised. I am not scared of you. You can go ahead if you like and hire a water tanker from your own pocket. Do it, I don’t give a damn!”

An ANC councillor who asked not to be named, told News24 that tensions ran high after Penisi had redirected a water tanker away from the community in an alleged punishment to those who did not vote for her in the last local election.

Zibonda said the DA “highlighted yesterday that no public representative should ever conduct themselves in such a disgraceful manner and that the words uttered by Cllr Penisi are reflective of a person who has no understanding of their responsibilities and shows a complete lack of compassion for the desperate people of this municipality”.

“Our communities are in dire need of water, they do not need to be chastised and sworn at. The ANC is yet again protecting one of its cadres without any regard for the people a public representative are supposed to serve.”

Zibonda added: “I will write to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Xolile Nqatha, to request that Cllr Penisi is immediately removed from the Raymond Mhlaba Council.”

Nqatha’s spokesperson Makhaya Komisa said the office would only respond once they have received the letter from the DA.

ANC Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi said Penisi would still be hauled before the party’s disciplinary structure.

Responding to the plans by the DA to write to Nqatha, Ngcukayithobi said: “It’s their colleague in the council and they have every right to call for accountability to their colleague. The ANC will follow its internal disciplinary code to the letter.”

Zibonda further said the DA would continue to fight for the people of Raymond Mahlaba and would put pressure on the provincial government “to ensure that councillors serve the public and look after their best interests”.

Penisi failed to take News24’s calls or respond to messages.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.