The Eastern Cape African National Congress (ANC) is looking into the cause of a shootout at a party meeting in Lusikisiki, it said on Wednesday.
OR Tambo regional spokesperson Jackson Sabona said the region had convened a meeting with a branch, when the shooting occurred.
The meeting was part of a programme to prepare branches for the upcoming provincial general council (PGC), to take place in December, and the regional general council (RGC), scheduled for the end of November.
”It was an outreach programme of the ANC in the region to make contact with the branches to brief them on the national executive committee meeting and the RGC and PGC,” he said.
Jackson, who was part of the meeting, said groups of ANC members had gathered outside, toyi-toying and singing.
”They wanted to get inside the meeting even though they were not invited.”
It was rumoured, said Jackson, that the group believed the meeting was convened to discuss infighting at the Ingquza Hill municipality. The gunfight broke out between rival factions outside the meeting, he said.
Police said three people were wounded when a man with an R5 rifle opened fire at the Lusikisiki College on Sunday. Five other people were injured when they were hit with stones.
One person was arrested and would face charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, Captain Mduduzi Godlwana said.
Sabona said he had heard deployed members of the Ingquza Hill municipality — the mayor, speaker and chief whip — were forced by the ANC to go on leave but refused. The group gathered outside the meeting because they wanted to know why the three did not leave their posts.
”But we don’t know their real agendas, there are many rumours around. We are going to investigate,” he said.
The RGC meeting scheduled for the end of the month would likely be cancelled because of the violence at the weekend meeting. — Sapa