EFF legislator accused of assaulting his girlfriend
AN EFF member of the Gauteng legislature is in hot water after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in Soweto over the weekend.
Patrick Sindane hinted on Twitter yesterday he would resign from his position following the attack. This was after a follower asked him if he would resign.
Sindane tweeted: “I am not going to defend my actions, I reacted wrongly and I take full responsibility… Will not even try to explain what happened.”
Asked if he was admitting guilt, he tweeted: “I’m saying I’m taking full responsibility, I’m not going to defend my reaction.”
The Star could not reach Sindane yesterday as his phone went to voicemail. It was not clear if a criminal case has been opened against him.
Sindane allegedly assaulted his girlfriend after the pair got into a heated argument. The row erupted after the funeral of an EFF member in Orlando, Soweto on Saturday.
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, the EFF spokesperson, told The Star the party had already instituted disciplinary action against Sindane.
“We’ve noted both the allegations and the confession on Twitter,” he said.
“We want to express, firstly, that we take serious exception to woman abuse and general violence against the female gender.
“Internal disciplinary processes are already in place to take action against fighter Patrick Sindane.
“It is regrettable indeed because he’s not only a leader of the EFF, but he’s a leader of society in that he’s a member of the provincial legislature,” said Ndlozi.
He said the EFF would provide the alleged victim with the necessary support. The party has previously spoken out against woman abuse.
It called for stern action against former deputy higher education minister Mduduzi Manana, who was found guilty of assaulting two women at a Fourways nightclub.
In a statement issued in August, the EFF said: “Women continue to suffer in domestic and public violence due to toxic masculinities rooted in patriarchal power that benefits and protects men.”
It is not the first time Sindane has been embroiled in an alleged woman abuse controversy. He was expelled from the Anti-Privatisation Forum in 2009 after being accused of involvement in a gang rape.
He was arrested and charged along with two other men. The case was withdrawn in court, reportedly because the concerned woman, who was a sex worker, disappeared.
Sindane previously denied the rape, saying it was withdrawn in court without being tested. “We have always maintained our innocence,” he told the Daily Maverick in 2013.
An EFF member said Sindane often resorted to violence.
“This man has a history of beating people, not only women but male fighters as well. Whenever there are disagreements he resorts to that.”