ANCYL leader not the intended target: witness
It is believed that the intended target of the shooting in which KZN ANCYL deputy chairperson Wandile Ngubeni died was actually Mafika Mbele, who was shot in the leg.
|||Durban - When gunshots rang at a Madadeni Location eatery in Newcastle on Sunday evening, patrons ran like “headless chicken”, with some playing dead to avoid the hail of bullets from two assailants.
The target of the shooting would seem to have been Mafika Mndebele, ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Emalahleni (Newcastle) regional secretary.
He escaped with three bullet wounds to the foot, leg and hip-line.
However, his comrade, the region’s deputy chairman, Wandile Ngubeni, 28, suffered two bullet wounds to the leg, eight to the body and seven to the head, said ANC Emalahleni regional secretary, Ntokozo Mhlungu, on Wednesday.
Mhlungu, who was not present during the shooting, said his suspicion was that the attack was politically motivated, but would not elaborate until a full report of the police investigation was made available.
The Daily News reported on Tuesday that both the league structures in the region and province issued statements claiming that the attack was a direct hit to the regional (league) leadership.
“Comrade Ngubeni died on the spot. One has some suspicion that the hit was politically motivated, because it was well planned and executed with precision,” said Mhlungu.
He did not deny that the region was fraught with internal squabbles for positions, but warned against pointing fingers before the police investigation was completed.
“One needs to acknowledge that we do have internal problems, like any other party the world over. Those problems, though, should not lead to murder for individuals to get what they want. People commit heinous acts to achieve their selfish goals. However, I don’t want to point any fingers until the law has taken its course,” he said.
A witness, who was in the company of the slain leader, members the Young Communist League and ANC members, gave a detailed unfolding of the events.
He requested anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the media. He said the shooting happened at 9.19pm.
“Viewing the CCTV, one of the shooters walks in and walks out again. After a short while he walks in again, accompanied by a limping man, both smoking cigarettes. By that time Mafika had shifted position and Ngubane was directly where Mafika was.
“The two men approached a table not far from ours and seconds later the limping man shifted to an angle which I’d say was strategic because he was not in the line of fire, and he had a clear view of our table, and all hell broke loose,” said the witness.
He said the gunmen paid no attention to the retreating patrons.
“People were running, but these thugs’ intended target was our table. Ngubane was riddled with bullets and Mafika was shot in the leg, and was lying down with everyone else who had taken cover.
“On their way out, one of them kicked Mafika, who remained still, and then shot him in the leg. The comrade took that bullet without giving himself away that he was alive, and the two walked out of the place,” he said.
The witness said outside, at the garage nearby the establishment, four cars were waiting for the gunmen. They both got into different cars and the four vehicles left.
“They were not escaping. Their movement from the establishment to the cars was casual. It’s clear that they knew their target, otherwise why was not one of the other patrons not shot, even when others were running for the door, while others were lying on the floor? I’m 99% sure that this was politically motivated.”
Mafika is in a serious but stable condition under heavy guard at an undisclosed hospital.
A decision still needs to be taken about removing a bullet which could cost him the functioning of his leg.
ANCYL president Collen Maine will visit the families of the two victims today, said the witness. Provincial police spokesman, Shooz Magudulela, said no arrests had been made yet.
Daily News