ANC councillor’s vehicle torched
The alleged torching of a councillor’s vehicle right next to his house, while he and his family were sleeping, sent shock waves through Phagameng.
ANC councillor Jack Shokane woke up at around 23:00 on Thursday 4 January to the acrid smell of smoke. Once outside he realized that his Ford Ranger bakkie, parked right next to his house in Extension 10, was on fire. He called the emergency services immediately to assist him in dousing the fire.
According to Rufus Magoro, ANC regional secretary, this was the third incident of intimidation directed towards Shokane.
“Last year his vehicle’s wheels were slashed with a sharp object and sometime later a group of people arrived at his house to intimidate him. Fortunately, he was not at home,” Magoro said.
Shokane is the chairman of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), which is tasked with the investigation of irregular appointments and expenditures.
“A report on the outcome of investigations by the committee led to the arrest of some officials at the municipality, but I cannot speculate whether this incident is related to that or if it was political or not. We will wait for the police investigation.”
Incidents such as this are unheard of in Modimolle.
Brig Hlulani Mashaba, Limpopo Police spokesperson, said in a statement they are investigating a case of malicious property damage. The investigation team is conducting a forensic investigation to establish the cause of the fire.
Speculation online was rife about the motives for the attack. Some commentators thought that the car was vandalized whilst others speculated that the incident was linked to opposition to ongoing investigations into certain projects and individuals demanding sub-contracts.
Anyone with information regarding the torching is urged to contact Capt Renier Schutte of the Modimolle Police on 082 565 9051 or the crime stop number on 08600 10111 or report anonymously on MySAPSapp.
