Durban — The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has accused senior government officials of using the police’s crime intelligence unit for unnecessary tasks instead of allowing the unit to focus on intercepting criminals and preventing the political killings currently ravaging the province.
This was the stand taken by provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo during a visit to the family of slain eThekwini ward 14 branch chairperson Cassim Phiri, who was gunned down on Tuesday night.
Mtolo lamented that Phiri was the fifth party leader to be killed in the past few months.
“Our police crime intelligence unit is being used for stupid things by senior government officials instead of it focusing on intercepting the killings of politicians,” said Mtolo.
He called for the restructuring of the police crime intelligence unit, which he said was being used to follow ANC senior government officials instead of being allowed to intercept criminals and prevent crime. He called this an abuse of power by the senior officials.
The ANC leader said the party would call for an urgent meeting with provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to discuss and find ways of preventing the ongoing killing of politicians, which crime intelligence appeared to be unable to counter.
This was despite the fact that there was an Inter-Ministerial Task Team set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa and led by Police Minister Bheki Cele, which was currently investigating political killings. Cele had in the past promised to revamp the police crime intelligence unit.
According to the local leadership and the family of Phiri, he had just finished work at a branch meeting and was relaxing in his car with another comrade, Yassim Khabeje, when the two gunmen wearing hooded jackets cornered them in the car and sprayed them with bullets.
Phiri’s uncle, Ishmael Maseko, said the meeting was held at Mariannpark Primary School outside Pinetown, west of Durban.
He said after being told about the incident they rushed to the scene, and found the body of his nephew, trapped in the car. He said police told the family that 28 spent cartridges were found at the scene.
Maseko added that earlier in the day, before Phiri had attended the meeting, two men, suspected to have been hit men, had been seen near Phiri’s home, and the family had been told that the two men “were suspicious”.
Attempts to speak to Khabeje were unsuccessful because he was at a mortuary preparing to bury Phiri on Wednesday according to Islamic tradition.
He was said to have “faked death” during the shooting.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said a murder docket was opened at Mariannhill police station for investigation.
Phiri was described as a helpful man in the area and a devoted Muslim.
After slamming the alleged misuse of the police’s crime intelligence unit, Mtolo said those responsible for the killing were intent on destabilising the party with the hope of preventing it from retaining power after the 2024 general elections.
“Comrades, this is a plot to destroy the ANC by the people who might have infiltrated the movement … They have tried all the tricks in the book, they have tried to sideline us and their intention is to dislodge us from power in 2024.
“But they have realised that they would not succeed, so they resorted to killing anyone who associates himself or herself with our movement,” Mtolo said.
Although both the provincial and eThekwini leadership said they did not know who could have been behind the killing, a party member close to Phiri said there were two camps in the ward, and one of them “did not like” Phiri.
He was quick to say the hit men could have been hired by people in the branch executive.
In September 2022 alone, the ANC has lost three councillors. Mnqobi Molefe, who was the councillor for ward 99 in Umkomaas, was shot and killed, and following his murder, ward 11, KwaMaphumulo councillor Zakhele Khuzwayo was killed.
Meanwhile, four men including ANC eThekwini ward 101 councillor Mzimuni Ngiba, accused of killing his predecessor Siyabonga Mkhize, lost their court appeal to be detained at the Department of Correctional Services Westville.
Ngiba, Nkosinathi Ngcobo, Sifiso Vincent Mlando and Sandile Mzizi appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where they gave reasons for not wanting to be detained at Ebongweni Maximum Correctional Services Centre.
Advocate Roshan Dehal argued that the accused were a far distance from their families, who are unable to visit them, and that he could not consult with his clients because it was a three-hour drive to the facility.
National Prosecuting Authority advocate Elvis Gcweka told the court that there was a reason for their transfer to Kokstad. He explained that a cellphone was confiscated and the safety of the witnesses was not guaranteed.
Magistrate Vanitha Armu dismissed the application and said the court did not have the power to say whether the accused should be at Westville prison or at Ebongweni in Kokstad. The matter was postponed to November.
Daily News