COSATU welcomes Moss Phakoe verdict

The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the verdict of Judge Ronnie Hendricks in the Rustenburg High Court - that former Rustenburg mayor, Mathew Wolmarans, and his former bodyguard, Enoch Mtshaba, are guilty of the murder of Comrade Moss Phakoe, who was shot dead outside his home in Rustenburg North on March 14 2009.

"The State proved beyond reasonable doubt that the two accused planned to kill the deceased," said Judge Hendricks.

The murder took place shortly after Moss Phakoe handed Wolmarans a dossier detailing alleged corruption in the Rustenburg municipality. He then handed the document to the then minister for co-operative governance and traditional affairs (COgTA), Sicelo Shiceka.

The verdict is a victory for the tireless campaign by Moss's family and friends and the COSATU North West Province to first to convince the police to find out who was responsible for his death and then to bring those guilty to justice. We now expect the harshest possible sentence to be imposed on Wolmarans and Mtshaba for an act of cold-blooded murder committed in order to cover up acts of corruption.

The federation demands the release of the report compiled by the COgTA on the scale of corruption in local government in the North West. Minister Sicelo Shiceka promised the COSATU Central Executive Committee that he had nothing to hide and would hand over the report. Last year we marched to the Premier and Minister and again they promised to give us the report. We again demand that report be issued to the public.

COSATU hopes that this verdict will mark a turning point in the fight against corruption and crime, and that all those others facing serious charges of corruption, and the murder of those exposing that corruption, will now face the full force of the law.

Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, July 16 2012

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