Petrified Ward 10 residents attending an ANC meeting on Sunday 6 October called the police after a councillor pulled out his gun.
Petrified Ward 10 residents attending an ANC meeting on Sunday 6 October called the police after a councillor pulled out his gun.
People gathered in the Tantyi location hall ducked under chairs after the senior party leader started waving his firearm around.
According to Sabelo Bill, the official reached into his bag and took out the firearm after an altercation with someone at the meeting.
The man on the other end of the gun was ANC member Bongani Hanise, who said he opened a case against the councillor who is a member of the Makana Mayoral Committee.
The councillor was allegedly angry that quorum had been reached at the branch election meeting, and he then gave chase to Hanise.
"I ran outside and I slipped," Hanise said. "He got to me and pointed his gun at me, and while he was still pointing the gun at me another councillor arrived and slapped me in the face."
When people tried to intervene the councillor then pointed his firearm at them as well, according to Hanise.
Many terrified residents left the meeting.
ANC officials at the meeting also tried to prevent a Grocott's Mail journalist from taking pictures outside the hall.
Police rushed to the scene, but one woman at the meeting said they did little to help.
Hombakazi Damane says she is still shaken after having a gun pointed in her direction.
Damane said if the councillor is really an ANC member he should be removed from the party. "He can't do what he did."
Tensions allegedly reached boiling point after some ANC officials tried to stop the meeting from happening.
This was because residents from the other side of Ward 10 were not aware that the meeting was happening, according to one community member.
"We were surprised to see some of the officials at the meeting because we have never seen them in our meetings before," said the woman who declined to give her name.
"Even when we have had problems with our councillor they never came. Now when there is a branch election suddenly everyone is here," she said.
The meeting continued after the incident and the branch members were elected. The residents were adamant that the outcome of the meeting will not be changed.
However, Hanise says he is now afraid to walk in the streets at night.
The incident has been reported to the higher structures of the ANC, he said, adding that some high-ranking ANC members were also at the meeting.
The name of the gun-wielding councillor is known to Grocott's Mail, but his name cannot be revealed until it can be confirmed that a formal charge has been laid against him.
The branch executive committee meeting was initially scheduled for Thursday 3 October, but was postponed as quorum had not been reached.
Ward 10 residents at the meeting told Grocott's Mail that a task team was elected to make sure that everyone in the ward was aware of last Sunday's meeting so that quorum would be reached.
According to residents who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears of victimisation, the task team confirmed that they had notified everyone in the ward.
The required quorum was supposed to be 65 people, residents said, and the number of people at the meeting was over 70.
