The leader of the notorious vigilante organisation Mapogo a Matamaga is fighting to keep his position
Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
A crisis meeting called by the head of South Africa’s largest vigilante group got off to a bad start last weekend when the group struggled for three hours to gain access to the community centre rented for the occasion.
The leader of Mapogo a Matamaga, Monhle Magolego, and his most loyal followers had to drive around Lebowakgomo, outside Pietersburg, in his BMW in search of a key to the township’s civic centre.
After failing to make progress, the Mapogo members, who arrived at the meeting driving expensive cars ranging from Mercedes-Benzes to 4x4s, had to resort to holding their meeting under leafless Marula trees.
According to Magolego the meeting was supposed to help revive the organisation, which has been rocked during the past few weeks by allegations that he has mismanaged Mapogo affairs.
Mapogo’s executive committee last week suspended Magolego from the organisation following allegations that he misused funds. Magolego also stands accused of neglecting members and opening a secret bank account.
Magolego has dismissed the allegations as ”a sick joke”, and says he will ignore any criticism of himself or calls for him to step down.
While Magolego sought to bolster his position at the gathering, a rival meeting of Mapogo was taking place 80km from Lebowakgomo in a township called Jane Furse.
The Jane Furse meeting resolved that an internal commission of inquiry will look at the allegations against Magolego and that he will be ordered to return Mapogo’s property and cease to be president.
But Magolego said he will ignore every decision taken by these dissidents, and vows he will remain president of the organisation.
The meeting may not have resulted in any solution to the faction fight that has taken hold of his organisation, but it did serve to feed his ego. His words were met with rounds of applause from his members, some of them sporting T-shirts adorned with a close-up picture of his stern face. All of which would have been much-needed for a man who, weary from constant battle with the government over his organisation’s practice of beating suspected criminals, now has a coup on his hands.
The rival meeting at Jane Furse was considerably better attended. It attracted a crowd of about 1E000, compared with Magolego’s more modest 200.
Magolego took the opportunity to blame the Northern Province government for the difficulties experienced earlier in gaining access to the Lebowakgomo civic centre.
”This government hates me and my organisation and they try everything they can to frustrate Mapogo, but I want to tell them that they will not win,” said a fuming Magolego, adding that his organisation had paid to use the venue.
”We will not just stop from holding our meeting. We will now proceed to have a caucus under the Marula tree,” said Magolego. The band headed off to assemble on the grass behind the civic building, while police cars parked at the civic centre gates.
Another police van constantly drove past slowly, its occupants observing the gathering, many of whom gathered around Magolego, who was always flanked by two henchmen. Although Mapogo has prided itself on having signed up hundreds of white farmers and businessmen, there was only one white member present.
After the meeting Magolego said: ”The members have resolved that no one on this Earth can ever think that he will be the president of Mapogo. I am the president of Mapogo and that will only be terminated by the course of nature.
”I want to make it clear that no one will dethrone the president of Mapogo,” said Magolego. Mapogo’s head office in Jane Furse, which he accuses of having mounted the campaign against his leadership, will be closed, he said.
”These people are fighting me but I always said that this organisation is for the community. From today we will no longer recognise them and they must just start their own organisation,” said Magolego. He said the name Mapogo belonged to him and that the vigilante group has been registered at the Register of Companies as a non-profit company.
”I started this organisation and came up with the name. In short, the organisation will go on as normal and the president will stay.”
For the time being Magolego appears safe – at least as far as his own members are concerned. He still has to contend, however, with a string of criminal charges against him for various acts of assault he has allegedly committed during the course of his Mapogo duties.