Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s office says his official car was shot at several times while he was being driven from a recent ANC NEC meeting in the east of Johannesburg in an incident suspected to be an attempt on his life.
Sunday World has been informed that the incident happened along the N12 highway on March 30, when Mashatile and his entourage were driving home from the meeting which was held at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
Mashatile’s spokesperson Keith Khoza this week confirmed the incident, stating that the deputy president’s car “was hit by what appears to have been a gun [bullets]”.
Unconfirmed reports claim that 12 spent cartridges were found at the scene of the shooting incident.
“We can confirm that there was an incident in which the car of the deputy president was hit,” he said.
Khoza also confirmed that Mashatile’s convoy was driving from the NEC when it was hit by objects on the windscreen.
The relevant authorities are investigating the matter, he added.
He declined to provide further details, asserting that Mashatile, as deputy president, is under the protection of the SAPS VIP protection unit, “so the matter naturally fell into their [SAPS] hands”.
“The police are best placed to respond to the question; however, I can confirm that we have a report confirming from an expert that these were bullets,” Khoza explained.
Khoza confirmed that Mashatile was in the car when the incident happened and nobody was injured as the car is bulletproof.
Sunday World was informed that a high-level team, including police ballistic expert Col Chris Mangena, was roped in to investigate the incident.
Mangena has allegedly already submitted his report on the incident to the offices of President Cyril Ramaphosa, National Police Commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola, and Head of the Presidential Protection Unit Gen Wally Rhode.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe this week refused to comment on the incident.
“The SAPS does not discuss or comment on safety and security aspects concerning the president and the deputy president, including cabinet members, in the public domain,” Mathe said.
