IT’S WAR!
That appears to be the only way to describe factional battles tearing apart the ANC in the North West region of Bojanala.
The battle was between the camp led by ANC regional secretary Tokyo Mataboge and allegedly that of Madibeng local municipality executive mayor Jostina Mothibe.
The battle between the two leaders has moved from being verbal to physical after Mataboge was assaulted by a group of ANC members allegedly sympathetic to Mothibe during a meeting at a community hall in Brits on January 6, two days before the ANC January 8 statement and birthday celebrations in North West last weekend.
Mataboge then ran to the police and told the law men that a group of ANC members attacked him with pangas, hammers and knives.
Mothibe distanced herself from Mataboge s gang assault.
Madibeng municipal spokesman Tumelo Tshabalala said: The executive mayor … would like to refute allegations that a group of people that assaulted Mr Mataboge were sent by her. She wishes to state clearly that she is not in any way involved in what happened.”
Police confirmed a case of assault was opened at Brits police station but could not say if the suspects were arrested or not.
Sunday World has seen video footage in which Mataboge being whisked away by a group of people, making a shied around him, while others try to attack him. At one point, he falls to the ground while the assailants kick and punch him.
One of the terrified female onlookers could be heard saying: O
mongwe o tshwere Okapi (one of them has an Okapi in hand).”
Mataboge told this newspaper that the hooligans” who moered him were sent by the mayor.
They asked me why you and your people are holding the mayor hostage? before they jumped on me. I believe the mayor has something to do with my attack and she knows it as well,” he said. The same people held me hostage on December 9, saying I must leave the mayor alone.”
Mataboge said the aim of the group was to kill him and he only survived because some of his comrades shielded him from people trying to stab him with a knife.
While I was struggling with them, one of the men assaulted me with a hammer on my waist and the other attempted to stick his knife in my chest. I was lucky there were comrades who defended me.”
Mataboge sustained a back injury and a black eye from the attack.
He said politics have become too dirty in the Bojanala district and leaders were using gangs against each other to fight political battles.
The group that assaulted me has been going to every ward beating up people who don’t agree with their handlers like they are some vigilante group,” he said.