Mkhondo - The former mayor of the Mkhondo Local Municipality in Mpumalanga was given a heroes welcome when he was finally granted bail on Tuesday.
Vusi Sigemegeme Motha was granted R50 000 bail by the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court after being in police custody for more than a month. Several prior attempts for bail had failed.
He was arrested for being in possession of an illegal firearm and his arrest came at a time when there were political killings in the Gert Sibande district in the south of the province.
After several attempts, Motha’s legal team was able to convince the court to grant him bail. Bail Bail was granted with strict conditions, some of which the court said he was not to be in contact with witnesses involved in the case.
Motha was once the mayor until 2021 and was once the ANC’s Gert Sibande’s regional chairperson. When he was released, scores of jubilant supporters came out to welcome him and celebrate his release on bail.
Motha is currently without a party after the EFF denied that he joined it after leaving the ANC.
Escorted by his legal team and bodyguards, Motha, who was wearing sneakers, a pair of blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a jacket, was whisked to a black SUV which was waiting for him.
He nodded, smiled and occasionally took a sip of water from a bottle he was carrying as scores of people in white T-shirts ululated and waved at him.
Some blew whistles and sang loudly while lining up along the streets to welcome him home.
Motha was then whisked out under heavy protection and in a convoy of vehicles.
UPDATE: The former ANC mayor of Mkhondo (Piet Retief) local municipality, Vusi Sgemegeme Motha, was earlier today granted R50,000 bail after being in police custody for almost a month.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) February 14, 2023
After Motha had left for a destination believed to be Grotto, his favourite Dutch restaurant along the N2 on your way to Pongola, his supporters carried on celebrating on the street of the town of Piet Retief.
They were heard singing songs like “Sigemegeme Dumela” and one supporter was heard shouting “Thank you, God, our father is back, he is out (of police custody)”.
At the height of his power while he was an ANC member, Motha was able to stalemate the party in the municipality when he allegedly instructed councillors loyal to him not to vote for Ngelosi Ndlovu, a mayor he never wanted.
Instead, the councillors ended up giving the mayoral chain to Mthokozisi Simelane, an independent councillor.
However, Simelane has since been dethroned by the ANC and Ndlovu voted to power after a special council sitting two weeks ago.
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