UPDATE 2025/02/19

The Vereeniging police have confirmed that a case of common assault has been opened following an incident where a meeting of the Sedibeng District Municipality was disrupted after tear gas or pepper spray cannisters were set off inside the council chamber, forcing an evacuation.

Captain Teboho Lephoto, a spokesperson for the police in Vereeniging, confirmed on Monday (February 17) that a case had been opened.

The case was opened on Friday (February 14) by security personnel of the Sedibeng District Municipality.

This comes after the police said that according to information at their disposal, it seems that the incident was never reported.

“The case has been opened, although it was reported late to us,” Lephoto confirmed.

“A case of common assault has been opened and no arrests have been made at this stage. The investigations are on-going,” Lephoto said.

UPDATE – 2025/02/14

Captain Teboho Lephoto, a spokesperson for the police in Vereeniging, says that according to information at their disposal, it seems that the incident was never reported to the police whatsoever.

“I have checked with the Public Order Policing and Distict Task Teams. No such case has been reported. I contacted the municipality’s head of security to establish what happened. He explained he has no knowledge of it and that the police are not invited to a sitting council unless all the parties agree that the police should be there,” he says.

Following this information, we contacted Dyonase again to enquire about the case that had supposedly been opened.

Dyonase then told Vaalweekblad that the speaker, Motsumi Mathe (who according to news reports had received ‘death threat text messages’) had told them that the police are involved. This seems not to be the case.

Vaalweekblad contacted Mathe on Thursday, but he has still not answered our questions.

On Tuesday (February 18) the Sedibeng District Municipality re-elected ousted mayor Lerato Maloka.

This comes less than three weeks after she was removed following a motion of no confidence against her.

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VEREENIGING – A meeting of the Sedibeng District Municipality has apparently been disrupted after tear gas or pepper spray cannisters were set off inside the council chamber, forcing an evacuation.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has condemned what it calls a “blatant attack on democratic processes in the Sedibeng Council Chamber”.

It seems that the attack was aimed at delaying the election of a new mayor for the district.

Today’s sitting of the Sedibeng Council was scheduled 14 days ago, after a successful Motion of No Confidence (MoNC), tabled by the DA, was heard against the controversial former mayor Cllr Lerato Maloka.

Cllr Sibusiso Dyonase, the Democratic Alliance’s Caucus Leader in Sedibeng says: “This is nothing but a tactic to protect ANC networks of patronage, and we will not stand for it.”

Vaalweekblad understands that police have been despatched to council chambers and are investigating.

“In working together with the police, we will ensure that those responsible are held to account – the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) will be contacted, and no stone will be left unturned,” Dyonase says.

“Sedibeng’s residents deserve a new mayor,” he concluded.