The murder of a Free State government official and member of the African National Congress should be solved as a matter of urgency, the ANC in the province said on Tuesday.
”It is therefore important that any person who has information about the crime should please make the information available to the investigating agencies,” Free State ANC chairperson Ace Mageshule told reporters in Bloemfontein.
Noby Ngombane, an official in Premier Beatrice Marshoff’s office, was shot dead at his home in Bloemfontein last week. The Free State ANC’s provincial working committee (PWC) met on Tuesday in Bloemfontein, joined by some national executive committee members, including Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad.
”The callous and brutal murder of our respected comrade Noby Ngombane was discussed [at the meeting],” Mageshule said. ”The PWC places on record its deep appreciation of the role that comrade Noby Ngombane played in helping to build and strengthen the ANC in this province, as well as nationally.”
Mageshule said the perpetrators of the crime must be ”pursued with vigour and urgency so that they can be arrested, tried and imprisoned”.
When asked about Ngombane’s widow Nokwanda’s statement at his funeral on Monday, where she said his killing was political, Mageshule said the ANC would never allow ”members that are murderers”.
He said the ANC had not made contact with Ngombane’s family yet as ”it’s a time of respect towards the family”.
Marshoff, also at the meeting, said the matter was in the hands of the police and that anyone with information should see them.
”We also ask that Nokwanda Ngombane, like everyone else, do the same so that the investigation could go on and the matter solved… so that we can close the book on the matter as soon as possible,” Marshoff said.
Marshoff and Mageshule asked the media not to speculate further on the matter.
Reports that Marshoff, to whom Ngombane was an adviser, was about to announce a reshuffle of the province’s executive committee were denied. Reports stated Ngombane was believed to be behind the reshuffle, which would have resulted in ANC officials losing their jobs.
”There was no planned announcement last week Wednesday on a cabinet reshuffle,” Marshoff said.
She said a step such as a cabinet reshuffle would have happened with the full input and knowledge of the provincial ANC.
”If the time comes for something like that you will know,” Marshoff said. — Sapa/AFP