ANC activist facing alleged job threat probe
Official presses charges after heated exchange
ABUFFALO City Metro (BCM) official has filed a case of intimidation against controversial ANC activist and socialite Ayanda Matinise.
Matinise was arrested earlier this year for fraud after he allegedly forged the signature of Bhisho legislature deputy speaker Bulelwa Tunyiswa in order to hire a vehicle.
The intimidation case was opened last week at the Berlin Police Station after Matinise was allegedly caught on tape threatening to get BCM’s finance department employee Mphuthumi Mda, who is also a fellow ANC Ward 45 member, fired.
The Daily Dispatch is in possession of a recording Mda has submitted to police as evidence.
In it, the voice of a man alleged to be Matinise’s can be heard bragging how politically connected he is and how he will ensure Mda’s contract with BCM is terminated. The man goes on to say “I rule” at BCM’s human resources unit.
The threats were allegedly made during an ANC meeting at the Berlin Town Hall earlier this month.
It is understood that Matinise made the alleged threats after he had wanted to remove Mda and two other people from the meeting because they had supported an independent candidate during the local government elections.
Mda had supported ANC member turned independent candidate in Ward 45, Thulani Tempi, while Matinise backed the current ward councillor Gideon Norexe.
The voice in the recording is also heard telling Mda that after he was removed from the finance department, he could be “deployed” to work at a dumpsite.
“I can easily do that because I am connected in BCM. So you can lose that job any day I want.”
Mda, a BCM employee based at the Civic Centre in King William’s Town, did not take the threats lightly and opened a case of intimidation at the Berlin police station.
Police spokesman Mluleki Mbi yesterday confirmed police were investigating the matter.
Mda said he had taken Matinise’s alleged threats seriously because he was close to people in high authority.
“Hence I reported that to police so that when it happens, I would have a leg to stand on,” said Mda.
He said since he had aligned himself with Tempi’s failed campaign “I noted that there were sinister plans to target me, even at work, by people who think they are above the law”.
Matinise, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, was recently arrested for contempt of court after he had failed to appear for an unrelated fraud charge.
The fraud charge was laid by the provincial legislature after he had used its letterhead, with Tunyiswa’s signature, to give himself authority to hire a vehicle.