‘We lost a true member of the ANC’

10/10/2015. Emotional Tsholofelo Bozwana, wife of prominent businessman Wandile Bozwana during his funeral service held at NG Kerk Moreleta Park in Pretoria East. Bozwana was shot and killed last Friday during a hit on the Garsfontein offramp. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi

10/10/2015. Emotional Tsholofelo Bozwana, wife of prominent businessman Wandile Bozwana during his funeral service held at NG Kerk Moreleta Park in Pretoria East. Bozwana was shot and killed last Friday during a hit on the Garsfontein offramp. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi

Published Oct 11, 2015

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The gunman who killed North West billionaire and controversial ANC funder Wandile Bozwana was a hit man – so the police needed to work around the clock to find the person behind the murder.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and former North West premier and now National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise said this at the funeral service for Bozwana, held at the Moreleta Park Auditorium in Pretoria yesterday.

All the people who spoke at the funeral service had had relationships with Bozwana – Mbalula, Modise, business partners Mmoloki Pheelwane and Olebogeng “Bass G” Mosegedi, and Faith “Bettina” Losaba were among those who were top of the list.

Mourners applauded and ululated as Mbalula said: “The killer of Bozwana must be found. Not only that, we also need to find the person behind the killing.”

Minutes later, Mbalula urged the mourners not to jump to conclusions about the identity of the person who was behind the murder and had hired the killer.

His call came just days after the North West ANC called on the party’s members in the province to refrain from conjecture about provincial chairman and Premier Supra Mahumapelo’s possible involvement.

The ANC also warned people not to make inflammatory comments on social media.

Mahumapelo and members of his executive committee were not at the funeral.

It was not clear whether all of them were at the ANC’s national general council, which was under way at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

The Northern Cape government under Premier Sylvia Lucas had the largest representation.

At least five Northern Cape MECs, including the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Alvin Botes, were at the funeral.

Mahumapelo and Bozwana were engaged in a court battle over the awarding of North West government contracts.

Insisting that more than one person had been involved in the murder, Mbalula said: “We want to know whether Bozwana was killed for political reasons.

“We also want to know whether he was killed for business reasons.

“We also want to know why he was taken away in such a callous manner. You cannot wish such a kind of death to even your worst enemy.”

Bozwana died in a drive-by shooting on the N1 highway on October 2.

He and a colleague, Mpho Baloyi, were travelling north from Joburg when they came under attack.

Baloyi was driving and Bozwana was in the front passenger seat.

A silver-grey BMW M3 pulled up alongside them near the Garsfontein off-ramp and the gunman opened fire.

He allegedly fired 12 bullets, nine of which struck Bozwana.

Baloyi was wounded in the attack, but she managed to drive to the nearby Menlyn Shopping Centre for help.

Bozwana and Baloyi were taken to the Unitas Hospital in Pretoria, where the businessman died.

Mbalula paid tribute to the man he said he had known when he was a “progressive member” of the Bophuthatswana Police under then-president Lucas Mangope.

He had been known as “Captain Bozwana” before he joined the government after 1994.

At the time, Mbalula recalled, Bozwana and his wife, Tsholofelo, gave him moral support while he was secretary-general of the ANC Youth League.

The relationship developed further when he became a deputy minister and later a minister, he said.

“I used to abuse Bozwana. I used to use his funds to conduct government work. At times, you would see that I appeared at different functions on the same day. Sometimes it was all because of Bozwana,” Mbalula said.

He stopped short of telling mourners that he had been among the few who’d had the opportunity to board Bozwana’s private plane.

Mbalula said Bozwana had been a generous funder of the ANC.

“When we went to Polokwane in 2007, Bozwana was a (Thabo) Mbeki man. He used to call and tell me that he was not part of the (Jacob) Zuma matter. He also told me not to bother to visit the North West and canvass for Zuma.

“Little did he know that I would sneak into the North West and recruit people and by the time he opened his eyes, I had won over some of their supporters.

“We clobbered them in Polokwane,” Mbalula added. The two had remained friends, however, he said.

Modise said everyone behind the murder of Bozwana must be found, put on trial and sentenced to long jail terms.

The NCOP chairwoman was adamant that Bozwana had been justified in fighting to be treated fairly.

However, she had disagreed with the tactics he had employed in his battles with Mahumapelo.

“I told him that their protest actions were affecting the small traders and schoolchildren. (This) was during the preparations for the funeral of Ruth Mompati (an ANC stalwart, in May).

“After a long debate, Bozwana agreed with me and vowed to suspend the protest action.

“We lost a hero, a campaigner and a true member of the ANC.”

Sunday Independent

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