Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) chairperson in Limpopo, Tshilidzi Maraga, says while they prepare for the memorial of their councillor Jonas Mpe, they hope police will soon arrest those responsible for his murder.
Mpe, 46, a councillor at the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, was fatally shot at his home at Ga-Botha Village in Matlelerekeng, in a suspected political killing.
The EFF provincial leader said Mpe was very active in his community and played a major role in youth development.
“He was the real ground force and used to transport pensioners to their pay points, especially during [the payment of] grants. [On Friday last week] he was supposed to have transported learners without identity |documents to home affairs in Marble Hall.
“He had a good working relationship with the local tribal authorities. Fighter Mpe was one of the few councillors who adhered to the call to secure buses for the 10th-anniversary celebration of the EFF.”
Maraga said Mpe’s death was a double blow for the EFF following the death of the party leader in the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, Thabo Tlaka, in February. Tlaka died after a short illness.
“We are finalising logistics for fighter Mpe’s memorial, which will be held tomorrow but we still can’t believe he is gone. We are still shocked that his life was cut short like that, but we have to allow police to investigate and trace the murderer or murderers without us speculating or making unfounded statements.
“The memorial service for fighter Mpe will be held tomorrow (on Thursday) but we cannot confirm the venue at this moment. He will be buried on Saturday and all the details will be communicated.
“As the EFF, we believe that it is the duty of law enforcement to make sure that no stone is left unturned. We hope to see the culprits brought to book soon,” said Maraga.
The slain councillor was living alone and is believed to have bled to death. His body was found the next day when schoolchildren spotted his lifeless body through a fence.
“A high-level task team of investigators comprising Provincial Tracking Team, Murder and Robbery Unit together with Sekhukhune District Detectives was established to track down and apprehend suspects responsible for the murder.
“Mpe was shot and killed on Thursday evening at his home and his body was discovered the following day at about 7am.
“Police were alerted about the incident by community members and on arrival, they found the deceased lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to his neck.
“According to reports, a gunshot was heard on Thursday night at about 9 pm but nobody saw what happened,” said provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
He said police later found Mpe’s Ford Ranger bakkie in bushes at a nearby village.
Mpe’s murder took place at a time when six men accused of shooting and killing Collins Chabane Local Municipality mayor Moses Maluleke last July are facing trial in the Polokwane High Court.
The trial has been set down for 16 days between May 29 and June 15.
One of the accused has reportedly turned state witness.
Limpopo was one of the provinces less known for the killings of politicians. However, while such killings have been notorious mostly in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, Limpopo seems to have gained some notoriety within the past five years.
In 2018, Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality ward councillor Thabang Maupa was ambushed in Burgersfort together with his wife at a time when he was vocal about the VBS scandal that rocked Limpopo’s municipalities.
Two men have since been convicted of the two murders and handed life sentences.
In 2019, two South African Municipal Workers Union members, Ronald Mani and Timson Musetsho, were killed for reportedly also blowing the whistle on the VBS Mutual Bank scandal in the Vhembe area. In the same year, Mogalakwena Municipal councillors Ralph Kanyane and Valtyn Kekana were also murdered in Mokopane.
Last year, Maluleke joined the list of Limpopo politicians who were gunned down in recent years.
To read more political news and views, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
