An ANC councilor and a member in court for allegedly assaulting service delivery protesters

An ANC councilor and a member in court for allegedly assaulting service delivery protesters

By BRIAN KAJENGO

COPE in Mpumalanga condemns at all costs the lack of political tolerance within the African National Congress following the arrest of the party’s controversial councilor and a member over the assault of a service delivery protestor in Thulamahashe.

ANC councilor in the Bushbuckridge municipality, Million Makaringe and another accused believed to be a members of the ANC appeared before the Mhala magistrate court in Thulamahashe on charges of assault with the intention to do grievous bodily harm on Monday.

They were both not asked to plead but were released on warning pending their next court appearance for further police investigations.

COPE understands that a group of people wearing ANC T-shirts and in about 10 minibuses arrived at the home of one David Sithole with the intention to “teach him a lesson” for allegedly instigating a service delivery protest in Thulamahashe.

The service delivery protest that took place over the weekend was aimed at calling the municipality to deliver services such as water and roads but also to call for the removal of councilor Rodgers Tshobede who is widely accused of corruption.

It is a very open secret that Tshobede and Makaringe are colleagues as well as close friends who even had the guts to attempt to contravene a high court order by influencing the community not to welcome back Mr. Solly Mkhonto as Thulamahashe regional municipal manager.

Mkhonto had been suspended during the tenure of then Executive mayor Milton Morema but the North Gauteng high court gave a final order for his reinstatement and the two even locked the municipal gates to prevent Mkhonto from resuming his duties.

COPE says by so doing they had not only contravened the court order but also the Municipal System’s Act which prevents a councilor from behaving in the manner that they did.

The Bushbuckridge municipality once took Comrade Albert Khoza to a disciplinary hearing after he had allegedly challenged an ANC councilor for switching off (sabotaging) water in the ward that he was representing as an independent councilor.

Under the circumstances it is understood that amongst the people who assaulted Sithole was Makaringe and another alleged ANC member known as Wonderboy Masinga.

The ANC’s Mandla Ndlovu who is a regional secretary in the area has promised to investigate allegations that the two ANC members had assaulted someone while the provincial ANC spokesman, argued that anyone could wear an ANC T-shirt before committing a crime.

“Now it is not about checking whether the attackers were ANC members or not because here is a known ANC councilor who even appeared before the court for the alleged assault.” Sizile said.

COPE in Mpumalanga says these attacks have the potential of bringing killings and attempts on people’s lives like it happened over the years in the Bushbuckridge area.

COPE says people who had either been killed or attacked because of politics in the area include the murder of Ehlanzeni Speaker Johan Ndlovu who was shot dead about two years ago, former Bushbuckridge mayor Caswell Maluleke who was ambushed and shot at more than 15 times, Comrade Sizile Ndlovu whose house was sprayed with an AK-47 assault rifle’s bullets as well as others.

“We as COPE are calling the community not to allow the ANC to bulldoze them around. It seems like the ANC has realized that the ballot might become very difficult because that party will have to reap what it sowed which is corruption, intimidation and other controversial issues,” said COPE Mpumalanga premier candidate, Comrade Sizile Ndlovu.