Suspended Limpopo ANCYL chair cries over spilt coffee

2 August 2016

Johannesburg - Suspended Mopani ANC Youth League regional chairperson Hassani Ngobeni claims that the organisation's provincial spokesperson, Matome Moremi, assaulted him and poured hot coffee over him.

According to Ngobeni, last week he had gone to the ANC headquarters - Frans Mohlala House - to visit the provincial secretary, when an argument broke out between Moremi and himself.

"I asked him why he was gossiping about me, telling him that I was not in the office for T-shirts, but to see the ANCYL provincial secretary who had indicated that he was in a hotel," Ngobeni said.

He said he waited at the hotel for the secretary. He said he was then confronted by Moremi. After an argument with him, Moremi slapped him in the face and poured coffee over him.

"He continued to assault me and tore my clothes even. I begged him to stop, but he continued assaulting me. After the assault, I went to report the matter at the Polokwane police station, laying a charge of assault," he said.

However, Moremi dismissed the allegations. He confirmed that they had argued, but denied assaulting Ngobeni.

He said he was surprised to see Ngobeni at the organisation’s offices as he had been suspended, and so he was not entitled to collect the T-shirts or participate in the youth league’s activities or programmes until the suspension had been reconsidered.

"Yes, there was an argument. Ngobeni swore at me, and I asked him not to disrespect me because I was older than him, but he continued and in the process we were shoving each other. I did nothing that he claimed I did. I did not assault or pour coffee over him," Moremi said.

Moremi said anybody was free to inspect the CCTV cameras, which would clearly show that the Ngobeni's claim was a fabrication.

"Everyone is free view the cameras for himself and they will see that I didn't assault him," Moremi said.

Mopani regional secretary Baskop Makamu refused to comment and referred the enquiry to provincial deputy secretary Makoma Makhurupetje, "because the incident didn't take place in regional offices, but at the provincial offices".

Attempts to reach Makhurupetje were not successful.

Polokwane police spokesperson Captain Ntobeng Phala confirmed that a case of assault had been opened, but that no arrest had been made."Yes, indeed the case of assault has been opened by Hassani Ngobeni. No arrest has been made and investigations are still continuing,” Phala said.

Ngobeni has been suspended for not supporting ANCYL president Collen Maine.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.