Two members of the African National Congress who allegedly attacked its Western Cape provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha were expelled from the party after a disciplinary hearing on Monday.

Neither Ndikho Tyawana nor Sicelo Mvunyiswa attended the hearing, held on Monday afternoon at the party's provincial office in Cape Town city centre.

Earlier in the day Tyawana was granted R1000 bail when he appeared in the Worcester Magistrate's Court on a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

He allegedly stabbed Skwatsha in the neck and back with a knife at a party meeting in the Boland town two weeks ago.

The Western Cape ANC said in a statement on Monday evening that a provincial disciplinary committee had found the two men guilty in absentia on the charges against them "with regard to the attempted murder" of Skwatsha.

These charges included flagrant violation of the moral integrity expected of members, deliberately disrupting an ANC meeting, fighting in a "grossly disorderly way" and prejudicing the integrity and repute of the organisation.

It said at least four witnesses gave evidence that Tyawana stabbed Skwatsha.

Witnesses had also testified that Mvunyiswa led the violent disruption of the meeting and assaulted Skwatsha and another member of the provincial leadership.

Both had been expelled from the ANC with immediate effect.

The party would continue investigating the involvement of other members in the incident, and would release details of the measures that would flow from this in due course.

The three-person disciplinary committee was chaired by former Cape Town councillor Danile Landingwe.

Party spokesperson Garth Strachan said both men had been given a week's notification of the hearing, and had been supplied with the charges that would be put to them.

"As far as we are concerned due process with regard to the ANC constitution has been followed," he said.

One of Tyawana's bail conditions was that he should stay with his brother in Aliwal North.

Sapa