A picture of a senior council member at the Bojanala District Municipality in the North West carrying an AK-47 rifle has spooked other councillors and created an uproar within the municipality. Other councillors say the picture was a true indication that the councillor was threatening other senior staff members.
Ditebogo Moeketsane said he was not aware that “an innocent” picture of himself holding a gun will make his colleagues unhappy. He said the picture was of him at a shooting range and was “stolen from his WhatsApp status”.
Innocent picture
“I have to write a letter to the provincial ANC office because the people were mentioning the provincial secretary’s name as well. And they implicate myself and him as corrupt and working with inkabis, and there is nothing like that,” he said.
He said he was targeted by people employed by the municipality. Many cases of criminal activities at the municipality have been opened. And some of the crimes include burglary, he said.
Moeketsane said some people said he was working with a dangerous gang around the area.
“These claims are completely untrue and baseless. To set the record straight, I booked a shooting range for recreational purposes. And at no point have I ever carried a firearm in public. The image being circulated was taken from my WhatsApp status. And …it has been maliciously misinterpreted and manipulated for nefarious purposes,” Moeketsane said.
Unfounded propaganda
He said the “unfounded propaganda” was being spread by individuals who thrive on chaos and the manufacturing of lies in order to garner the attention of senior leaders.
A councillor within the municipality who wanted to remain anonymous said even though Moeketsane denies his involvement in the corruption happening within the municipality, they suspect he had his hands in some corrupt activity.
“We don’t understand him, ever since he got in, things got worse in this municipality. The mayor got fired, [including] the municipal manager. Maybe an investigation needs to be done to check who does what in this municipality,” he said.
Colleagues still blame him for corruption
But Moeketsane said councillors who doubt him must bring it on.
“I have police cases opened because of the threats and break-ins. Yes, the former mayor and former MM had to leave. And it’s because we are trying to correct the corrupt activities that have been happening here at this municipality,” he said.
