The Amathole District Municipality is distancing itself from the alleged assault of a female councillor.
The incident took place in the ADM head offices on Monday and was captured on video which has subsequently gone viral - alongside the allegation that this is how whistleblowers are treated.
The ADM executive management said it was distancing itself from these disturbing scenes circulating on social media and that the matter would be fully investigated.
The Women's Caucus in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature said it was also hugely disturbed by the video showing people purporting to be Amathole District Municipality security dragging a female councillor out of the building.
MPL Bukiwe Fanta said the committee was deeply saddened by how this municipality leader, a mother and a female activist, was treated and that she deserved way better from the Amathole District Municipality than how it had chosen to treat her.
MPL Fanta said the municipality must take urgent action, and as the committee, they won't rest until appropriate action is taken against all those involved.
"What is even worse is that the head of security is a woman who allows such a vile action to be taken against another woman," said MPL Fanta.
Meanwhile, five people are due to appear in an East London Magistrates Court on Tuesday in connection with the assault.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, said they were arrested on Monday evening shortly after the incident.
He told Algoa FM News that the five were given bail of R500 each and ordered to return to court on Tuesday.
