On Friday, at Baroka Stadium in Lebowakgomo outside Polokwane in Limpopo, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema delivered a keynote address at the funeral of Moshe Mphahlele.
The 39-year-old regional leader and Johannesburg councillor was tragically shot dead during a housing protest in Marlboro. Malema has strongly suggested that Mphahlele was assassinated.
The incident occurred last Sunday, and it is alleged that Mphahlele was shot by private security and officers from the Johannesburg Metro Police. Malema stated in his address, “Under democratic South Africa, we still have our own children being killed with live ammunition.”
He further asserted that the killing was orchestrated: “Mphahlele was not killed during the protest; he was actually assassinated because if you follow the story, they waited for him to be isolated.” He elaborated that Mphahlele was targeted when he attempted to negotiate with authorities and was shot in a place without witnesses.
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Malema voiced strong opinions regarding the lack of action against those involved. He pointed out that the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for the City of Johannesburg Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, who is also an EFF councillor, would have faced severe consequences if the officers implicated had not been suspended.
“We cannot have one of our own killed when the MMC is our own and there is no action taken against those who have killed one of our own. As if he heard me, he would have lost his job already,” Malema emphasized.
