Mpumalanga – Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane has reportedly fired Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs MEC Mandla Msibi after he was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder.
According to City Press, Msibi, who is also an ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) member and its head of elections in the province, handed himself over to the police at the Nelspruit Police Station on Monday morning.
The 45-year-old politician was alleged to have been involved in the fatal shooting of two people and the wounding of one other person.
Mtshweni-Tsipane said she had decided to release Msibi from his duties after considering the seriousness of the charges he faced, as well as the impact it would have on his work.
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“I wish to take this opportunity and announce that I have decided, after consultation with the ANC leadership in the province, to release MEC Msibi, who was responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, from his position in the provincial executive council with immediate effect.
“He still remains a member of the Mpumalanga provincial legislature as an ordinary member,” News24 quoted Mtshweni-Tsipane as saying in a briefing on Tuesday night.
Media reports indicated earlier that President Cyril Ramaphosa had called on Msibi to step aside, as he urged the ANC to deal with the issue urgently, saying anyone who was charged in a serious criminal matter was expected to step aside.
Meawhile, according to EWN, Msibi spent another night behind bars on Tuesday after his bail bid was postponed to Wednesday at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court.
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Compiled by Reginald Nhlapo
