ANC Youth League (ANCYL) national executive committee member Babiki Dewet has accused rival party factions in Free State of framing him for attempted murder in a bid to derail his political career after he was arrested for allegedly firing a gun at a funeral, where a mourner was shot.
Dewet, who is also a strategic special advisor to the mayor of Ngwathe municipality together with the ANC chairperson in the Fezile Dabi region, Victoria de Beer-Mthombeni, appeared at Koppies magistrate’s courts on Monday, where he was released on bail of R1 000. He is expected to appear in court again on May 5.
The shooting incident happened at the funeral of ANC’s Ngwathe chief whip Leponesa Sotshiva in Kwakwatsi township when mourners allegedly fired gunshots. A bullet struck a mourner.
While police charged Dewet with attempted murder and discharging a firearm, his lawyers claim he faces only the latter charge, calling the allegations “politically motivated lies”.
According to the charge sheet, Dewet was arrested weeks later. He denies his involvement, asserting that his firearms remained locked in his car at the time of the incident.
Sunday World understands that during the funeral, there were mourners who were shooting into the air as a sign of paying their respects to a fallen comrade.
The conduct is common at funerals of ANC members and gangsters, however, by law, it is prohibited as it could endanger people’s lives.
Speaking to Sunday World on Thursday, Dewet said that he was being framed for political reasons and denied that he had discharged a firearm.
“I was at the funeral, and whoever shot in the air was definitely not me. I have two firearms; one is a real gun, and the other is a pellet gun.
“At the time of the shooting, my firearms were in the car. When the shooting happened, I was at a distance from where shots were fired.
“I heard that someone was accidentally shot. I was far away from the person who shot the woman. That person who fired the shot was warned many times, and that was not me.”
Dewet expressed shock at his arrest. “These allegations that I shot someone are not true. This is a political plot against me, and at the time of the shooting, I was next to the hearse, not where shots were fired.
“There is a position that I need to get at Fezile Dabi District Municipality because there is a councillor who [has been] declared mentally unfit, and now they don’t want me to replace that person, and they want me to step aside.
“Those ANC people are framing me. Those ANC leaders in the region are against me, and they want to get through Victoria [De Beer, Fezile Dabi regional chairperson] by using me. Politics in Free State are dirty.”
He said that his lawyers have issued a letter warning people to stop spreading lies about him.
Dewet’s lawyers, Vana Tshabalala Attorneys, said that their client has recently become aware of false and defamatory statements being circulated on social media platforms, which allege that he has been charged with attempted murder.
“These claims are categorically false. Our client was never charged with attempted murder. Any suggestion to the contrary is an intentional and malicious misrepresentation of the facts. Mr Dewet has been charged solely with the offence of discharging a firearm, which he also unequivocally denies. Mr Dewet asserts that the charge itself is wholly unfounded and without merit. He is fully cooperating with the state and remains confident that, in due course, the legal process will vindicate him.”
The lawyers added: “He looks forward to having his day in court, where he will clear his name of this contrived and baseless allegation. These falsehoods appear to stem from a public statement issued by the police, which contains significant factual inaccuracies.
“The misrepresentation of charges constitutes not only a breach of ethical and professional standards but also a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. Mr Dewet unequivocally denies the allegations of attempted murder and views this campaign of misinformation as a politically motivated effort to impugn his character.”
