Former DA leader Nqaba Bhanga rejoins ANC

With less than a week to go to the polls, the African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape has welcomed former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Nqaba Bhanga back to the governing party.

Bhanga was unveiled alongside Themba Mangqase and Eric Jinikwe at the ANC’s regional headquarters in Gqeberha on Thursday.

His return to the ANC comes ahead of the national and provincial elections on 29 May. Bhanga will now work for the ruling party in the Nelson Mandela Bay region.

Bhanga expelled from DA

The former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor was previously a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Bhanga “resigned” from the DA and as a member of the Eastern Cape legislature in December, hours after his party membership was terminated.

The former DA provincial leader was suspended from party activities in June 2023 after he accused the party’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille of being a racist in a social media post.

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His case was subsequently referred to the party’s federal legal commission (FLC) for investigation before his expulsion.

Bhanga was a Congress of the People (Cope) member before joining the DA in 2014.

He is also a former Congress of South Africa Students (Cosas) leader and national secretary-general of the South African Students’ Congress (Sasco).

Fatal accident

Bhanga was involved in a car accident on his 44th birthday on 28 August 2021, which left two people dead.

His Mercedes Benz collided with an Audi. Both occupants of the Audi died at the scene.

They were later identified as Sandile Ronald Sicolo and Nonzwakazi Maho.

The former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor sustained a fractured wrist and had to undergo surgery due to internal bleeding.

The incident reportedly influenced his decision not to seek re-election to a third term as the DA’s provincial leader.

He was succeeded by Andrew Whitfield in the DA’s provincial conference in February 2023.

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