Bad Penny Penny suspended

SELF-PROCLAIMED Shangaan disco king-cum-politician Penny Penny has been suspended by the ANC for mouthing unmusical lyrics about the party.

” If it is about what I said about tenders, I still strongly stand by it. why should some people get more and others less? “

Penny Penny, (pictured), who is a ward councillor in Limpopo’s Giyani Municipality, was shut out by the Mopani ANC Regional Executive Committee (REC).

The singer, christened Eric Nkovani, was presented with charges on Thursday and will appear before the party’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday in Tzaneen.

News of Penny Penny’s suspension came to the fore when he missed a council meeting a fortnight ago.

An ANC official who spoke to Sunday World on condition of anonymity says Penny Penny’s suspension stemmed from remarks he made in the media about the awarding of tenders in Mopani.

It is alleged that Penny Penny told the media he’d told Mopani District executive mayor and regional chairperson Joshua Matlou that tenders for water and sanitation projects earmarked for his ward should not be awarded to outsiders but to enterprises owned by Mopani residents.

“While the ANC supports freedom of speech and encourages members to raise their views without fear of suppression, the REC felt humiliated by these remarks as they not only seek to divide citizens along geographical lines but also have the potential to damage the good name of the ANC,” said the official.

“The ANC and the mayor are not involved and would not be involved in the awarding of tenders . To bring the ANC and the mayor into the tender process is disingenuous and such utterances, especially coming from ANC cadres, must be condemned with the strongest possible terms they deserve.”

Giyani Municipality spokesperson Steven Mavundla says: “We’ll treat the supposed suspension as a rumour because we haven’t received an official notice from the ANC.”

But he confirms that Penny Penny missed the previous council meeting: “He sent a letter of apology and the council accepted it.”

ANC Mopani Regional Secretary Brickz Manzini confirms the suspension and the charges: “The charge sheet was presented to him on Thursday and the hearing will take place on the 12th of this month.”

Manzini says though Penny Penny was not suspended as councillor, he will lose his seat in the council if dismissed from the organisation after the hearing.

Penny Penny confirms that he was suspended from the ANC but says he is yet to receive the charges formulated against him.

“If it is about what I said about tenders, I still strongly stand by it . why should some people get more and others less?” he asks.