Two more ANC leaders shot dead in Limpopo
24 July 2019
Two ANC leaders have been shot dead in Limpopo in what is believed to be part of the continuous in-fighting which has claimed several lives of party members in the past 12 month.
Valtyn Kekana, 54, who was chairperson of municipal public accounts committee in the Mogalakwena municipality, and Alf Kanyane, 32, who was the party’s branch secretary in the region, were shot dead in Mokopane by gunmen on Tuesday.
The party’s provincial spokesperson Donald Selamolela hinted that the shooting may be politically motivated.
"Whilst we do not know for now the motive for these murders, as the police are still investigating, we have observed in the past 12 months a shocking increase in the shooting and killing of our members, making it difficult for us not to believe the political nature of the motives," Selamolela said.
He said the party was worried about the trend and would become more active in protecting its members.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the two victims were seated in a car when they were approached by a man wielding a gun. The man opened fire, before fleeing the scene on foot.
He said a high-level task team was investigating the murders.
Earlier this year, two unionists - Ronald Mani and Timson Tshililo - were murdered. It was thought that they were targeted because they were agitating for action to be taken against those accused of looting of VBS Mutual Bank.
In November last year, ANC ward councillor in Fetakgomo, Thabang Maupa, was shot dead. It’s widely believed his killing was also connected to the VBS scandal.
Locals in Mokopane believe that Kekana and Kanyane were casualties of the ongoing in-fighting in the Mogalakwena municipality.
It is understood that Kekana was in the process of investigating alleged corruption in the municipality. He apparently requested a forensic report from the finance department on Tuesday.
The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo also believes Kekana and Kanyane were killed because they were at the forefront of exposing corruption in the municipality.
