This is after the controversial Niehaus was found guilty of six counts of misconduct that brought the party into disrepute.

The ANC's National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) said his expulsion stemmed from the comments Niehaus made during the unrest in Kwa-Zulu-Natal that turned deadly in July 2021 following the arrest of his ally former president Jacob Zuma.

One of the comments that landed Niehaus in hot water read: "The ruling of the Constitutional Court is a travesty of justice... the law is being used selectively as an instrument to fight political and factional battles."

The comment was deemed to have contravened Rule 25 of the ANC Constitution, said the NDC.

A letter dated 12 December and signed by the ANC NDC chairperson Ralph Mgijima confirmed Niehaus' fate.

"Whilst the ANC was very tolerant of different views, it is the obligation of every member to abide by the stated policies and positions of the organisation as articulated by the NEC from time to time," read the letter.

"No member was exempted or allowed to adopt a posture which defined him or her as being bigger than the organisation."

The NDC said Niehaus failed to show any remorse for misconduct, convincing the disciplinary committee, "that he was not capable of being rehabilitated".

Niehaus staged a lone protest outside the Nasrec venue, during the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week ahead of this weekend's elective conference, calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down.

Niehaus labelled the disciplinary committee as a kangaroo court, saying he had only heard about his expulsion on social media.

"This is an insane decision by these people who call themselves the disciplinary committee. This is nonsensical."

He took to Twitter, telling his followers that he has appealed what he called the "farcical expression".

Pictured above: Carl Niehaus

Image source: @niehaus_carl