Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) regional deputy secretary and ward councillor Moshe Mphahlele was fatally shot on Sunday. This happened during a police and private security operation to evict people from shelter containers in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township .
Where did the shooting take place?
The incident occurred in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township during an eviction operation. The city used containers and piled them on top of one another to form four-storey blocks of flats as Covid-19 shelters. This was to enable social distancing in the high-density neighbourhood while the pandemic was spreading.
The city intended to repurpose them and connect essential services such as electricity and water but the project illegal invasions by people from the community hindered the project.
Someone shot EFF councillor Moshe Mphahlele while members of the police dispersed a crowd of people protesting over the occupation of the containers.
Johannesburg MMC wants answers from SAPS
Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, has urged the South African Police Service (SAPS) to make it a priority to investigate the shooting .
According to SABC News, Mabaso highlighted that there is confusion over who fired the shots. It is unclear whether police, security, or the crowd fired the shots. He called for a swift resolution to clarify the circumstances and provide closure for Mphahlele’s family. The motive of the killing is still unknown.
“It seems like no one knows what happened. We were informed that the shots came from the crowd but the crowd says it came from the police or the security and that’s where the confusion is.”
Mlungisi Mabaso
He added that he hopes that the police will do justice in this investigation.
City of Johannesburg Council Speaker, Margaret Arnolds, said Mphahlele was a dedicated public servant, as reported by The Citizen.
“His life was tragically cut short in an incident that has left us all shocked and deeply saddened.”
Margaret Arnolds
What did the police say?
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said a shooting occurred while ‘metro police and private security were removing people who had allegedly occupied containers’, as reported by Times Live.
He added that the police received information about a wounded man who was at the local clinic. Upon arrival at the clinic, medical staff showed the police the body of a man who had a gunshot wound.
The police have opened a murder inquiry but have not made any arrests.
Newzroom Afrika published a report on YouTube:
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