ANC Councillor Murdered in Township Hit

by Jordan Yerman | April 15, 2007 at 10:03 am

258 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

Guguletu, Khayelitsha and Langa make up the Cape Flats, the sprawling townships on the other side of the mountains from verdant Cape Town. These shanty-towns are the legacy of generations of Apartheid, deep wounds indeed. Contrary to stereotype, the townships are not populated by criminals, but by folks from all walks of life, from sanitation workers to politicians, who are trying to live their lives and improve their surroundings in modern South Africa.

A Western Cape African National Congress (ANC) councillor and South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) executive member was gunned down in Guguletu on Saturday night, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported on Sunday.

The killing appeared to be an assassination.

Police said 41-year-old Mteteleli Joka was walking home when he was fired at by people on foot.

The area has been dogged by allegations of infighting within Sanco, the report said.

Police spokesperson Captain Elliot Sinyangana said the police were investigating a murder case.

ANC general secretary in the province Mcebisi Skwatsha said: "The signs are that this is not a robbery. The signs are that there were no skollies, nothing was taken from him."