The murder of Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff’s right-hand man, Noby Ngombane, is likely to deepen the long-running crisis in an already unstable and fractured province.
Ngombane was murdered on Tuesday night by unknown gunmen who drew up in a car outside his Bloemfontein home, shot him five times and disappeared without taking anything.
The circumstances of the murder have prompted suggestions of a political assassination. The Democratic Alliance in the Free State has suggested that Ngombane was the victim of internal African National Congress strife and called on President Thabo Mbeki to intervene and take charge of the investigations.
”If this was indeed a political attack, as it would seem, the power struggle in the ANC has reached deathly proportions. It cannot be allowed to escalate further,” said the DA’s Peter Frewen.
Ngombane, seen as Marshoff’s hatchet man in purging and reshaping the provincial administration, was a controversial figure who was cordially detested by many provincial ministers, senior ANC provincial leaders and top civil servants.
However, it is possible that the motive for the killing was not political. Ngombane was also seen as an incorrigible womaniser.
Previously head of the Free State government’s economic affairs and tourism department, Ngombane was elevated to head of policy coordination in Marshoff’s office last year.
She was in his political debt, as he had been coordinator of the interim leadership committee instrumental in recalling her from the National Assembly to serve as premier.
Ngombane was also accused of using the interim leadership committee to depose certain provincial ministers and replace them with his favourites. These included safety and security minister Casca Mokitlane and welfare minister Anna Buthelezi.
He repeatedly locked horns with provincial economics minister Benjamin Malakoane, who complained of being undermined.
As head of policy coordination, Ngombane became a powerful administrator who took over responsibilities from other departments, monitored their work and appointed himself Marshoff’s spokesperson.
His death will leave the premier vulnerable in a hostile environment. She has had repeated run-ins with the provincial ANC, which started when she ignored the party’s recommendations for provincial ministers’ posts in May last year.
ANC leaders claimed Ngombane was poisoning Marshoff’s mind, as she would agree with them and then change her mind after consulting her policy head. They also claimed he was using Marshoff to settle scores with political rivals.
Interviewed on Wednesday, his political enemies claimed Ngombane’s death might bring a measure of stability to provincial politics. They said that without his support Marshoff was unlikely to embark on controversial appointments or redeployments. The past few weeks have been abuzz with rumours that Marshoff is about to reshuffle the provincial executive and purge certain provincial ministers.
ANC provincial secretary Pat Matosa said that the Free State government would not struggle to replace Ngombane, but added that his services would be missed.
Ngombane is survived by his wife Nokwanda and two children aged seven and five.