Johannesburg- Amathole district councillor Nanziwe Rulashe is still traumatised at being assaulted by bouncers who dragged her on the floor of the municipality’s offices earlier this week.
The incident was captured in a video that went viral on social media and caused a lot of outrage and condemnation in various sectors of society.
Rulashe said: “I would be sleeping at night and be awakened by a nightmare of men taking off my clothes and showing off my private parts. I’ve been healthy all my life, but now all of a sudden I’m on medication and I must undergo counselling.”
The ANC in the province wants the dismissal of Amathole district municipality manager Thandekile Mnyimba, and its calls could worsen the already fractured relations between Amathole ANC regional leadership and the party’s provincial leadership.
Mnyimba is believed to be behind the humiliating incident, which resulted in Rulashe being dragged on the floor, kicking and screaming.
The suspended Amathole head of security Phele Phithi was seen in the video addressing Rulashe before she was dragged out, claiming to be acting on instructions from Mnyimba.
Phithi and four male suspects, known security guards from a private company contracted by the council, have since been arrested for Rulashe’s alleged
assault and public humiliation. They are out on R500 bail each.
Rulashe told a story of toxic relations at the Amathole council and administrative staff at the centre of what occurred. After ANC retained Amathole district municipality, Rulashe was deployed as a member of the mayoral committee responsible for strategic planning and management.
She said since arriving in that portfolio, she never saw eye to eye with the municipal director of that portfolio, Akhona Tinta, and it appears that she worked together with the municipal mayor Nceba Ndikinda to sabotage her.
At least on two occasions, Rulashe reported incidents related to her working relations with Tinta, but Ndikinda took Tinta’s side.
On the day of her removal by force from the office, Rulashe said she was shocked again when Tinta invited her to a department meeting that Rulashe was supposed to be chairing as a political head of the department.
It was her refusal to permit the meeting to go on chaired by Tinta, which was followed by the arrival of security head Phithi and four bouncers.
Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called for action against the alleged perpetrators.
ANC Women’s League, trade union movements, and civic organisations against gender-based violence marched to the Amathole offices on Thursday.
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