Cape Town – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has said that the ANC was unaware of an alleged assassination attempt on Deputy President Paul Mashatile until media reports surfaced.
The incident reportedly occurred on March 30 after an ANC meeting in Johannesburg, with Mashatile’s vehicle being shot at.
During an interview with eNCA on Wednesday, Mbalula expressed concern that neither Mashatile nor the government informed the party and said the ANC is still awaiting a full report from Mashatile.
“First, as the ANC, we are yet to release a comprehensive response to this situation. We call it a situation because it’s not clearly defined. We were not aware of it until the reports surfaced in the media on Sunday,” said Mbalula.
“We were taken aback by these reports because neither the deputy president nor anyone in government informed the ANC about this situation.”
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“We don’t know where this happened, how it happened, except from the reports, even from the deputy president himself…” Mbalula said.
Some ANC leaders have questioned the story’s credibility, calling it “fake news,” while Mashatile’s spokesperson insisted the incident was real.
Mbalula urged caution against jumping to conclusions and warned about misinformation and internal divisions.
Police have launched a high-level investigation into the matter.
Mashatile narrowly escaped harm after his convoy was fired upon while en route from an ANC NEC meeting in Boksburg, Gauteng – an incident that remained concealed from the public for nearly three weeks.
Bullets struck his official vehicle three times on the N12 highway, though he was unharmed.
The deputy president has downplayed the recent shooting incident involving his convoy, initially mistaking the sound of gunfire for stones hitting the vehicle.
‘Let’s focus on work’
It was only after his security detail inspected the bulletproof windscreen that they realised it had been struck by bullets.
Speaking during a visit to the KwaSizabantu Mission in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, Mashatile confirmed that police are investigating the matter but emphasised that there is no need for public concern.
“Let’s focus on work,” he said, choosing not to speculate on the motive behind the attack, according to IOL.
Mashatile added, “You must have heard that the police are investigating. What happened is that as I was driving from the NEC, my car was hit by what initially I thought were stones. When we got home, the protectors said the impact was too much, and they wanted to take it for checking because you know a bulletproof windscreen is too strong to be damaged.”
‘Quite strong to be damaged’
According to The Citizen, Mashatile reassured the public, emphasising the strength of his vehicle’s bulletproof windscreen and his own security.
“The bulletproof windscreen is quite strong to be damaged,” he said, adding, “I’m properly protected so [there’s] nothing to worry about.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
