ANC leaders hijacked, killed in North West

Members of the ANC Bojanala regional executive committee (REC) in North West are living in fear after a deputy regional chair was hijacked along with two passengers, while another REC member found a dead cat on her doorstep.

The party’s regional spokesperson, Thabo “Arafat” Molamu, expressed alarm at the rising incidents of violence targeting REC members in Bojanala.

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Kagiso Moleko and two passengers were held at gunpoint by 10 armed men while returning from an ANC meeting in Mahikeng on Tuesday.

The hijackers robbed them of their personal belongings before they drove with them to Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, where they dumped them.

A case of hijacking, robbery and theft of a vehicle was opened at the Rietgat police station. And Gugulethu Mtshali, also a member of the party regional working committee, found a dead cat outside her house.

Molamu said Mtshali, who is council speaker at the Moses Kotane municipality, was traumatised. The cat was cut in half “with unnatural precision”, but there was no link between the incident and the hijacking, he said. Mtshali now feared she was being targeted for an attack.

Recently, some councillors boycotted a council meeting after they refused to rescind their decision to hire a chief financial officer charged with fraud and corruption.

The council approved Mzwandile Mkhize’s appointment despite knowing that he was facing charges emanating from his time as a senior official at Gauteng’s West Rand Municipality.

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Mkhize and two others were implicated in investing municipal funds into a VBS Bank account in contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act.

Mtshali was caught in the middle of ongoing tension within the ANC at party and council levels. “A clear intent had already been demonstrated by rogue elements inside the ANC caucus to ensure that the ANC election victory would be undermined and disregarded,” Molamu said.

“We are deeply angered by the conduct of these councillors involved in this matter for their appalling and unacceptable behaviour, which is clearly an act of defiance and a calculated effort to bring shame and embarrassment to the ANC.”

It is understood from other ANC sources that the boycotting councillors were defiant because they believe the ANC could not afford to expel so many ward councillors.

If the councillors were to be expelled, by-elections would be called and the ANC would be wary of that at the time of a crucial national election campaign.

Molamu also condemned “the recent incidents of violence against its leaders”.

“These deplorable violent acts against the leaders have reached alarming levels and we hope that law enforcement agencies will do everything in their power to apprehend these treasonous elements.”