National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
Image: GCIS
In the wake of a concerning incident involving Deputy President Paul Mashatile's convoy, General Fannie Masemola, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), has moved swiftly to reassure the nation of the safety of the country’s executive.
The statement comes after reports of an alleged shooting directed at Mashatile's convoy, raising alarm bells over the potential threats facing top officials.
Masemola emphasised that SAPS has members who are assigned for the president and his deputy who are trained to a high level of skill and possess the necessary expertise and capabilities to avert any risk and threat.
"The resources assigned to safeguard the executive are also adequate and designed to prevent any direct and imminent threat on their lives," he said
He confirmed that a comprehensive investigation is currently underway, with a preliminary ballistics report already concluded.
Earlier, ANC Treasurer-General Dr Gwen Ramokgopa rubbished claims of assassination attempts as baseless, but confirmed the reported shooting involving Mashatile was now under formal review by the party’s secretariat.
"Usually when there are these reports (of assassination), many of them are fake, actually," Ramokgopa said on Tuesday, speaking to the media at the ANC Northern Cape elective conference.
"We have seen a lot of fake things. We have referred these matters for the secretariat to deal with organisationally, and indeed, in due course, we will respond to that," she said.
Ramokgopa added that while the ANC would assess the allegations internally, "it is ultimately the responsibility of the relevant agencies of the state" to investigate such incidents.
The alleged shooting, which reportedly occurred on March 30, was not made public until Mashatile mentioned it on Sunday during a visit to the KwaSizabantu Mission in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal.
Before addressing the Easter service, Mashatile spoke about the incident, explaining that his vehicle was hit by what he initially believed were stones while driving home from the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Boksburg, Gauteng.
"When we got home, the protector said the impact was too much. They wanted to take (the vehicle) for checking because a bulletproof windscreen is too strong to be damaged like that, and that’s why they are doing the investigation," Mashatile said.
His spokesperson, Keith Khoza, confirmed Mashatile was unharmed and said the matter was under investigation by police.
Mashatile is widely expected to contest for the ANC presidency in 2027.
However, insiders suggest that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula are also being discussed as possible contenders.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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