Ward 99 councillor, Peter Matshela, is out on bail of R1 000 after spending a night in the holding cells at the Mamelodi East police station. He was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at another man on Monday afternoon.
His supporters came in their numbers on Monday night, demanding that he be released with immediate effect because he was innocent, they said.
He appeared in the Mamelodi West magistrate’s court on Tuesday morning where the judge granted him bail.
Chanting, singing and cheering his name outside the court were his supporters, waiting for him to be released. He will appear in court again on 21 November. According to Matshela, the incident began last week Wednesday when the person who laid charges against him smashed his bakkie. He alleged that he went to the police station to open the case but the police did not take his case seriously.
On Monday afternoon, the complaint opened a case against the councillor for allegedly pointing a gun at him. Immediately thereafter the police arrested the councillor.
The councillor spent the night in jail while ANC members protested outside the police station, which was filled with back-up officers from various stations. Coming out of court, Councillor Peter Matshela said to his supporters “I don’t have a gun and never pointed anything at anyone.” He added that he had stopped some of the projects in the community because members of the community were complaining that he appointed contractors to hire certain people that he favoured.
He concluded by thanking the community members for their support and encouraged them to continue supporting him.
The office of the chief whip is very concerned about the intimidation and death threats Matshela has had to face.
On 30 October, Matshela was returning from a special council meeting when his car was blocked and severely damaged by a few disgruntled members of the community. They were angry because they wanted to be the sole beneficiaries of the community projects currently taking place in Ward 99. “Our officers take these threats very seriously, as they are used by criminal elements within our communities to undermine the efforts and dedication of Councillor Matshela to provide service delivery to our people,” said Cedric Maluleke, head of political liaison.
“These threats undermine all the effort and good work done in pursuing better services for the people of Ward 99. It is outrageous that criminal elements within our society think they wield some kind of power and can bully ward councillors of the City of Tshwane to persuade them to perpetuate corrupt practices,” said Maluleke.
He concluded by urging councillors to remain unshaken in promoting good governance and called upon the police and other law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to ensure that these acts of bullying and criminality are dealt with accordingly.
