Durban - Former eMalahleni ANC regional chairperson Arthur Zwane has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a security guard in an argument over hand sanitizer.
Zwane (47), Bongani Ngubeni (31) and Sibusiso Msibi (39) allegedly arrived at a hardware store where they were met by a security guard at the gate who requested them to sanitize as per the requirements of the Disaster Management Act.
“They were uncooperative and refused to sanitize. A fight started amongst them as a result and the complainant struck one suspect with a pick handle,” KZN police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said.
“The complainant was shot and injured by the suspect. He was rushed to the Madadeni hospital and he was admitted.”
Naicker said the three suspects then drove away from the scene and were later traced to Newcastle Medi-Clinic and arrested.
“A 9mm firearm with 8 rounds of ammunition was seized.”
Naicker said the three suspects appeared in court on Friday for attempted murder. The trio will remain in police custody until their next court appearance, he said.
They are expected to apply for bail on December 2.
In a separate incident in November 2019, Zwane made headlines for allegedly pointing a loaded firearm at KZN CoGTA MEC Sipho Hlomuka.
The incident happened around 1pm on November 4 when Zwane allegedly stormed the ANC’s provincial headquarters in central Durban and had a verbal showdown with Hlomuka.
He is out on bail on that matter.
IOL