Pretoria - Community members of Mabopane, Pretoria, have vowed to intensify protests in the township until the killers of Ward 22 councillor Tshepo Motaung are put behind bars.
Motaung was shot dead execution-style on Friday night by unknown hitmen.
His untimely death was believed to be politically motivated and linked to the party's recent candidate selection process.
He was driving home from a meeting in the company of his uncle and nephew when they were ambushed at a cul-de-sac at Mabopane Block UX.
His body was shot with at least 20 bullets, his uncle sustained gun wounds, while the nephew escaped unharmed.
In reaction to Motaungs murder, a group of community members, joined by SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) and some ANC members, took to the street yesterday and vowed to protest until their councillor’s killers were arrested.
They barricaded the busy Molefe Makinta road with rocks and burning tyres.
Traffic was severely affected and commuters could be seen walking to their destinations as they were left stranded due to to disruption of public transport.
Sanco leader in the township David Tshesedi said: “We are protesting today because we want justice for Tshepo. Many councillors have been killed and justice has not been served on their behalf. Tshepo’s death was politically motivated.”
He expressed worries that the other faction was not present during the protest in honour of Motaung as their leader.
“We are not going to rest until justice has been served for Tshepo,” Tshesedi said.
He described Motaung as a peacemaker in the ward and not a greedy person.
Sanco Tshwane regional Sanco chairperson Abram Mashishi saidthe organisation expressed concern over “the recent spate of murders and intimidation of certain individuals who have stood for nomination for ward councillors”.
“Most recently, comrade Tshepo Motaung, who had just been nominated through due process, was brutally gunned down when he got to his family home in Mabopane.
“Motaung, like many others, was threatened many times before the killing occurred. This is the fifth comrade who has been brutally killed. The deputy chair of ANC in Ward 30 was also killed. A businessman, Mr Ledwaba, as well. The list is endless,” Mashishi said.
He said gangsterism and thugs recruited in the organisation were the main problem behind the killings.
“Police must do their job and arrest these thugs, starting from previous murder cases of councillor Simphiwe Montlha and other councillors,” he said.
He said Sanco was particularly worried by the silence of the ANC in the region “as these incidents happen unabated.
“It is also specifically worrying that some senior ANC leaders in the region have been implicated in these processes,” he said.
Pretoria News