Westenburg Police today (Friday) came to the rescue of a woman when angry Extension 78 residents wanted to beat her on suspicion that she had been hired by ward 8 councillor Tebogo Mojapelo to work on a water project in the ward. Mojapelo is currently facing a charge of corruption following her recent arrest in that regard.
Residents gathered in an open field demanding that Mojapelo follow the right protocol to hire labourers. At one point a difference in opinion among residents nearly led to chaos as they crowd threatened to beat the woman but the Police’s quick response saved her.
It was alleged that Mojapelo hired friends and relative instead of using the proper system to do so. One of the residents indicated that Mojapelo hired people who are close to her and they wanted them to stop working and instead allow 15 people picked to work as per the community’s agreement.
Maggie Thaba who spoke on behalf of the Project Steering Committee outlined that various committees were not alerted when the contractor was hiring hence persons from other sections missed the opportunity and reiterated that they want those who picked the right cards to work and those who were brought by Mojapelo to get fired.
When addressing the crowd, Mojapelo did agree that there was a communication break down and apologised to residents. She further responded to words uttered by residents regarding her criminal charge saying: “You can say what you want, but you should remember that I am innocent until proven guilty by the court of law.”
Story & photos: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za
