KZN ANC chair criticises police for ‘Hollywood style’ raid at Gumede’s home

The chairperson of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, who is also the premier of the province, on Thursday evening, criticised the police for their “Hollywood style” raid at former eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede‘s home.

Gumede’s home was raided by the Hawks and Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) last week.

Zikalala was speaking at an engagement of ANC structures and its alliance partners in eThekwini region, the party’s biggest region in the country.

The publicising in the media of the raid, Zikalala said, undermined the unity and the functioning of the ANC in eThekwini, as well as the work of government.

“As the ANC, we are fully committed to fighting crime and corruption anywhere and anytime,” Zikalala said.

However, he said it “is wrong” when police conduct raids at the homes of politicians in the presence of the media.

“It was wrong when it was done some years ago to president [Jacob] Zuma as comrade [Kgalema] Motlanthe said it was a Hollywood style, even today we call it a Hollywood style,” Zikalala said.

The ANC provincial chair added that even when the same was done to anyone else anywhere else “it is wrong”.

If the police have a case against an individual they should arrest that individual without “showing peoples’ homes” in the media, Zikalala said.

Zikalala also said one of the things that undermined the hope that progress was being made in the fight against the scourge of the killing of “comrades” in the province was when those who were arrested in connection with these cases were not charged and were released from police custody.

“That is wrong,” Zikalala said.

Recently, six men were let off the hook for the killing of Msawenkosi Mchunu last year. Mchunu was reportedly a staunch supporter of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The charges against the six were withdrawn at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

This prompted Police Minister Bheki Cele to seek answers from the task team investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.

Zikalala also said the publicising in the media of raids and arrests of politicians had not only taken place in Durban but had happened several times across the country which was why this was being brought to the attention of the party and state President Ramaphosa that state organs should perform their duties accordingly.

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