The matter of Nelson Mandela Bay African National Congress (ANC) regional chairperson Andile Lungisa is not on the agenda at the ongoing three-day meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Friday.

“The problem is with some of us who don’t understand how the ANC works. Those things are dealt with by smaller committees if there is need for a disciplinary process. The NEC is not for that,” Mantashe said as he addressed journalists in Pretoria.

Mantashe disputed reports that Lungisa had referred his case to the NEC.

“There is no individual who refers anything to the NEC. Everybody writes a letter to the office of the secretary-general in the ANC and we process it accordingly. By the way this is not a Lungisa matter. It is a principle issue – that is all that the NEC can confirm or change. People in higher organs don’t stand for election in lower organs – that’s it,” he said.

Mantashe emphasised that “there is no Lungisa matter before the NEC”.

Lungisa, a member of the provincial executive committee had until Thursday this week to either resign as the regional chair or face disciplinary action following a decision by the ANC’s top six.

Both provincial and national leaders want Lungisa to step down.

Mantashe said the crisis at the South African Social Security Agency would be discussed at the NEC meeting, albeit in passing.

“It is not a main theme. It is an issue that is highlighted. You cannot develop a theme out of a crisis. The social grants are being paid on the 1st of April. There is a process that has been determined by the Constitutional Court, so it can’t be a theme. That decision of the ConCourt must be implemented. That’s it,” said Mantashe.

On Friday evening, Mantashe said ANC President Jacob Zuma had presented his political overview to the gathering. He said “few” issues were on the agenda.

“We’re focusing on few issues. The political overview has been presented. There are quite a number of themes that come through it but three main ones – the question of the land, crime, and the question of racism and the growing anger that is beginning to manifest all over the country. Those are the three major themes that came out of that,” said Mantashe.