Gunshots fired at DA councillor’s home

The DA has called on the eThekwini Municipality to move quickly to protect one of its councillors who was nearly assassinated last week.

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Published Jun 27, 2022

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Durban - The DA has called on the eThekwini Municipality to move quickly to protect one of its councillors who was nearly assassinated last week.

Gunshots were fired at the DA ward councillor’s house last week, and one of the bullets hit the television set.

The party said the councillor, who they declined to name for fear of her safety, had been under siege since she won the ward following the local government elections in November last year. She is the ward councillor for areas in the upper Highway area of Durban. It was a former ANC ward and flipped to the DA.

Attempts to speak to the councillor were unsuccessful yesterday and the DA said the party will speak on her behalf as it needed to protect her.

DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said since the councillor took over, there had been a concerted effort to intimidate her.

“We know that shortly after she was elected, she was told by some people in the area that she was not their councillor.”

He said there had been several incidents of intimidation, including her house being stoned and shots being fired outside her home.

Mthethwa said in all these incidents, they had struggled to get the police in the Hillcrest area to take the threats seriously.

“When the threats started, we reported the matter to the speaker’s office and the councillor was provided with protection for a few months while the crime intelligence unit assessed the threats against her.

“Because the police in the Hillcrest SAPS were not taking the threats seriously and not registering the cases brought before them of intimidation, Crime Intelligence returned a report that said there were no threats and hence the protection of the councillor was withdrawn,” he said.

Mthethwa said he would engage with the speaker’s office for it to provide protection while the threats against the councillor were being assessed.

Police confirmed that a case linked to the latest attack has been opened.

They said a case of attempted murder was opened at Hillcrest and the matter is under investigation.

“It is alleged by the complainant that on June 23, 2022, at11.15pm, she was at her place of residence when she heard a gunshot and went to investigate. She noticed that the window of their lounge had bullet holes,” the police said.

“The complainants are advised to see the Branch Commander who will be able to assist them with the progress of the investigation,” said the statement.

THE MERCURY