ANC councillor shot dead on Knysna street
Police have ruled out robbery as a motive in the murder of the ANC’s chief whip in Knysna, Victor Molosi, who was shot in the head metres from his home on Monday night.
Molosi, 50, the ANC’s mayoral candidate in Knysna, was gunned down at about 10pm after leaving Concordia High School following a governing body meeting.
He represented Ward 8, which includes Concordia and Joodsekamp.
Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said a preliminary investigation indicated that Molosi was on his way home from the meeting when a gunman approached and fired several shots at him.
“He sustained a gunshot wound to the head,” Pojie said.
He said Molosi was taken to hospital in a private vehicle, but was declared dead on arrival.
Pojie said the shooting did not appear to be motivated by robbery, as none of his belongings had been taken.
An officer close to the investigation, who declined to be named, said there was a possibility that it had been a “hit”.
Molosi, who was also the party’s Southern Cape deputy secretary, had been involved in several bold political moves since he won Ward 8 by a landslide in the 2016 local government elections.
It included bringing a motion of no confidence in then Knysna mayor Eleanore BouwSpies in October.
The motion, brought on October 17, included the removal of Bouw-Spies and then speaker Georlene Wolmarans.
This motion failed, but it was later revived by the ANC and succeeded in June.
Pojie said a postmortem would be carried out this week to confirm the cause of death.
“We appeal to anyone who can assist with information [related to the shooting] to contact Warrant Officer Reginus Quine on 044-302-6652, 082791-7676 or Crime Stop at 08600-10111.
“A dedicated hotline, 079894-1605, has also been established to deal with information related to the matter.
“All information will be dealt with confidentially.”
Meanwhile, messages of condolence have been pouring in for Molosi.
Knysna mayor Mark Willemse said he was devastated by the loss.
“We are privileged to have known and worked with Victor,” he said.
“He was a passionate contributor in council debates, advocating strongly on behalf of his party and [his] community.
“Our thoughts go out to his wife, Nomonde, and their four children.”
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs‚ who announced Molosi’s death on Facebook‚ called it “an enormously sad moment”.
Funeral arrangements are still being made.