President Cyril Ramaphosa has come under heavy criticism for his silence following a confirmed attempt on the life of Deputy President Paul Mashatile — an incident that Sunday World broke over the weekend, days before police formally acknowledged the shooting.
The publication first revealed that Mashatile’s bulletproof convoy came under fire on the N12 highway in Gauteng following an ANC national executive committee meeting in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, in March.
Mashatile initially thought his vehicle had been pelted with stones, but his security team quickly discovered that the damage was consistent with gunfire.
Police commissioner confirms shooting
Despite Sunday World leading with the scoop, high-ranking ANC leaders initially dismissed the incident as baseless — until national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed on Tuesday that the shooting did happen.
“General Fannie Masemola confirms a shooting incident involving the deputy president’s convoy,” SA Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
“Following the incident, an extensive investigation was conducted and [is] still underway, with the ballistics report already concluded.”
The confirmation has sparked renewed political tension, with EFF MP and former student command president Sihle Lonzi publicly accusing Ramaphosa of deliberately avoiding commenting on the matter for personal and political reasons.
“Even if Cyril Ramaphosa hates Paul Mashatile, it is unacceptable for a state president to remain this silent when there was an assassination attempt on the deputy president,” Lonzi posted on X.
“Hate the individual, but respect the office. This is an attack on the state. It’s terrorism!”
Senior ANC leaders downplay the incident
Lonzi also dismissed speculation that Ramaphosa’s silence stems from disbelief about the seriousness of the incident.
“The argument that Ramaphosa is silent on the assassination attempt of Mashatile because he thinks it’s fake is nonsense.
“Even when the hostility between Trump and Biden was heightened, Biden came out because such an attack is a matter of state security, [and] not [about personal] feelings.”
The firebrand MP expressed disbelief at how some ANC leaders, including treasurer-general Dr Gwen Ramokgopa and Northern Cape chairperson Dr Zamani Saul, have publicly downplayed the incident despite confirmation from the police.
“The state president is still muzzled. The ANC treasurer-general and Northern Cape chairperson call it a hoax. What do they know that the commissioner doesn’t know?” asked Lonzi.
Saul previously questioned the rationale behind an assassination attempt, stating that no threats of this nature happened when the ANC had more electoral support, so why now?
“The logic by Zamani Saul is that no one tried to kill a deputy president while they had 70%, so why would anyone try to kill a deputy president while they have 40%? This is in a country where councillor candidates are killed for ward by-elections.”
Mashatile’s security beefed up
The incident has once again brought to light the political undercurrents within the ANC and growing public concerns over state security protocols and leadership stability.
Sunday World has sent the Presidency specific media questions as the national debate goes on, asking for clarification on why Ramaphosa has not publicly addressed the shooting, whether he intends to do so, and how the Presidency reconciles Masemola’s confirmation with ANC leaders’ denial of the incident.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya had not responded at the time of publication. The comment will be added once Magwenya has responded.
Meanwhile, the presidential protection service has reportedly reinforced Mashatile’s security, and the SAPS continues with ballistic testing and intelligence assessments to trace those behind the attack.
