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Moshe Mphahlele was ‘assassinated’, says Malema at slain EFF councillor’s funeral
The EFF leader has demanded the arrest of those responsible for killing Moshe Mphahlele.
EFF leader Julius Malema speaks to supporters in the Northern Cape. Picture: EFF/X
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has alleged that City of Johannesburg councilor Moshe Mphahlele was assassinated.
“Mphahlele was not killed during the protest, he was actually assassinated,” Malema said at Mphahlele’s funeral on Friday in Polokwane, Limpopo.
This comes after a memorial service was held at the Sankopano Community Centre in Alexandra on Wednesday.
The EFF councillor died after being shot during a protest in Bramley near Alexandra, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
The circumstances surrounding Mphahlele’s death are being investigated by the South African Police Service (Saps).
Malema delivers eulogy
Malema claimed Mphahlele was isolated and shot while attempting to negotiate with the private security present at the protest, which was held in response to the occupation of municipal flats.
“If you follow the story, they waited for him to be isolated. Today, no one has been arrested in a democratic country where system is supposed to work,” he said.
The EFF stated that he wanted the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officials that were at the site of the incident to be held liable for Mphahlele’s death.
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“Even if the JMPD did not shoot why did they allow the security to shoot while they were there. They have more authority than the private security.”
According to City of Joburg’s Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku, several JMPD officers have been suspended after Mphahlele was allegedly shot by live ammunition.
Malema described Mphahlele as a dedicated EFF councilor who had gained huge support for the party.
“He was a regional leader with the characteristic of a national leader.”
Alexandra housing problems
Meanwhile, Malema further said in honor of Mphahlele, the EFF in the Joburg council must ensure that they put pressure on the municipality to allocate the shelters to the homeless from Alexandra.
“Let the rightful owners get into the containers. We are not calling for anything illegal anyone who qualifies to be in that container we are saying let them get in,” he said.
The EFF leader also criticised president Cyril Ramaphosa for promising to build one million houses in Alexandra.
“He came and decided to lie to the people of Alexandra he knew he was lying,” he said.
READ MORE: ‘Always at the forefront of the struggles of our people’: Shivambu honours Mphahlele at memorial
Malema said he was of the view that the housing issue in Alexandra was a crisis.
“These people are being killed for seeking shelter so they can hide when it rains,.”
The Alexandra shellers were built during Covid-19 pandemic times as temporary shelters for the dense population of the township.
Opposition parties have described the shelters as wasteful expenditure since they were never occupied during the pandemic.
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