Fani Sibeko was previously affiliated with the EFF and has also been linked to the Afrika Mayibuye Movement.
Fani Sibeko appears at Palm Ridge Court on 15 October 2026. Picture: Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
The alleged killing of four ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members in Katlehong has raised questions about a possible political motive, with the organisation’s Ekurhuleni leadership calling for close scrutiny of the incident.
Fani John Sibeko made a brief appearance at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
The case was postponed to next week Thursday, 22 October, for a formal bail application.
Sibeko faces four counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a public space and failure to lock a firearm in a safe after he reportedly handed himself over to the South African Police Service (Saps).
This follows a shooting that claimed four lives and left several other people injured.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening, 13 October, on Sophangisa Street in northern Katlehong.
The victims were among a group of ANCYL supporters returning from a memorial service for slain ANC member Jeanette Magugu at Mogobeng Primary School.
The Gauteng police’s political killings task team (PKTT) has been tasked to investigate the shooting.
Katlehong memorial service shooting suspect in court
Speaking to the media outside the court, ANCYL Ekurhuleni regional chairperson Simphiwe Patose stated that party members attended the proceedings to stand alongside the bereaved families and would continue supporting them as the case progresses.
He described Sibeko’s court appearance as an emotional moment for the victims’ families as the motive has not been officially established.
“I’m sure you would have seen the pain that the families felt immediately when that man was up in the dock.
“You can feel the pain because they do not understand, up to now, as to why he had done what he did.
“Even myself now, I’m speaking to you, I’m emotional because we were close to these young people who were shot for no reason at all by someone who just decided to become crazy,” the regional chairperson told reporters on Thursday.
Patose called on Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to ensure that the investigation and prosecution were conducted without irregularities, warning against the possibility of the case docket going missing.
The organisation, he stressed, would closely monitor developments “by hook or crook” as the case attracts national attention.
Patose further supported state prosecutor William Xaba’s intention to oppose bail.
He said the prosecution has a strong case and that the matter warranted its classification as a Schedule 6 matter.
Section 60(11)(a) of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA) requires an accused charged with a Schedule 6 offence to prove that exceptional circumstances warrant their release on bail.
ANCYL alleges possible political assassination
The ANCYL leader suggested that the nature of the attack raised suspicions that the victims may have been deliberately targeted.
Patose said the organisation would await the outcome of the PKTT’s investigation, while maintaining that the circumstances surrounding the shooting pointed to a possible political motive.
“Members of the ANC are marching from a memorial service. They are not disturbing anyone, were not provoking you; then you just take out your gun and kill them.
“The way it happened, it was clear that it was assassination. There’s no way you can make a mistake, even if you are trigger-happy.
“Maybe others were going to be shot in the leg or whatever, but he aimed for the head.”
His concerns also extend to the killing of Magugu, who was fatally shot at her home.
Patose questioned whether her death and the Katlehong shooting could be connected.
“We are now asking ourselves if these two are linked now because what brought that person to come to where the memorial service was and started killing people there.
“So, it means he had a motive. That is our case or speculation to say this is politically motivated.
“Whether that came from his party that he comes from or it was himself doing it for whatever reasons, but it is politically connected.”
EFF confirms past membership
Questions have also emerged about Sibeko’s political affiliations following reports of his past involvement with the EFF and alleged links to the Afrika Mayibuye Movement.
Sibeko served as an EFF councillor in the City of Ekurhuleni between 2016 and 2021 before leaving the party in 2022.
This is according to EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga.
“The alignment of him towards the EFF is unnecessary,” he informed the media on Thursday.
“He’s not a member of the EFF. He has not been an active member of the EFF for a very long time now.
“He has been an active member of Mayibuye Afrika,” Dunga added.
Afrika Mayibuye reacts
However, Afrika Mayibuye Movement, led by former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, has distanced itself from Sibeko.
In a statement, the party rejected claims that Sibeko is one of its candidates for the 2026 local government elections in Ekurhuleni.
The organisation added that its Ekurhuleni leadership would probe whether Sibeko was affiliated with the party.
“The leadership of Afrika Mayibuye Movement in Ekurhuleni is investigating the developments to establish what transpired, including whether the individual concerned holds membership of the organisation.
“This internal investigation will support cooperation with the police and must not prejudice the criminal investigation,” the party added.
