Five more people have been arrested for the murder of an African National Congress (ANC) supporter and the attempted murder of six others in Swayimani near Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, police said late Wednesday.
This brought the number of people arrested in connection with Monday’s ambush on the ANC motorcade to seven.
Mphatiseni Gumede, 27, was arrested just a few hours after the attack. Police confiscated a firearm. He briefly appeared in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Police spokesperson Director Phindile Radebe said Gumede would stay in custody until his next court appearance on May 13.
Radebe said a further two firearms were found when the five suspects were arrested on Wednesday.
The ANC motorcade was ambushed as party members were celebrating the party’s election victory.
ANC provincial secretary Senzo Mchunu welcomed the arrests. He said one of those arrested was an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) chairperson.
”This is not the first time that the IFP leadership has been linked to the murder of ANC members. In Nongoma an IFP councillor Hezekiah ‘Fish’ Ngwenya was arrested for the murder of ANC member Jabulani Khumalo and is currently out on bail.”
Khumalo was shot dead in March.
Another IFP councillor was arrested for the shooting of ANC member Bongani Ngcobo in the ANC’s offices in Nongoma, said Mchunu.
”The IFP leadership must come out strongly to condemn their members’ involvement in the attacks of ANC members, otherwise people will start believing that they are acting on the mandate of their top leadership.”
The IFP on Monday criticised ANC leaders for jumping to conclusions during the early stages of the investigation.
IFP national organiser Albert Mncwango said ANC leaders were ”reckless and irresponsible”.
Their statements could fuel tensions between IFP and ANC supporters, he said. — Sapa