Mayor vs councillor: “I will deal with you harshly”
Capricorn District Municipal Councillor and South African Communist Party (SACP) Castro Pilusa District Secretary Dan Mosena reportedly escalated a matter of alleged threats against his life, which he attributes to a prominent ruling party politician and mayor, to the Police in Polokwane the day after Christmas. Although advised to open a case by his party that considers the current political climate that has thus far resulted in a handful of killings in the province over a period of time as serious, Mosena opted to make a precautionary statement to the Police three days after the alleged incident.
Speaking to Polokwane Observer this week, Mosena claimed that threats against his life had been made by the politician after a
caucus meeting of African National Congress (ANC) councillors as they were about to enter a special council meeting held on 23 December last year. He alleged that following his raising of the contentious issue of a municipal audit, serving on the agenda of the council meeting, during the caucus meeting that day, the politician approached him while surrounded by a handful of fellow-councillors and threatened to deal with him harshly and remove him from his position as councillor.
He said it was not the first time that he had been threatened by the senior leader and related an incident in July 2017 when he was allegedly informed that he should leave the venue of another caucus meeting of ANC councillors along with the politician to see whether he would return again. The threat then was made after he had raised a matter pertaining to the purchase of a mayoral vehicle during that meeting, he added.
When approached for comment, the politician requested a copy of the media statement released by the SACP in Castro Pilusa District as he was unaware of the allegations made along with matters of the audit and other outstanding issues the political structure in the district insists on getting addressed. He indicated that he had discussed the issue with the ANC’s regional spokesperson and that the party in Peter Mokaba Region would appropriately respond to related allegations regarding the ruling party and other institutions once it had studied the press statement.
In further response he refuted the allegations of death threats, saying that he had never threatened Mosena’s life. He added that he had no interest in his life and that Mosena’s personal hatred towards him has blinded his imagination.
Calling it a joke, he said “This statement is not an SACP statement. It is a sponsored statement by him after receiving money from individuals who are very keen to drag my name, that of the municipality and the ANC into a bad light.”