The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called on the Democratic Alliance (DA) to immediately suspend its Ekurhuleni PR councillor Kabelo Mahonko following her arrest on allegations of kidnapping and murder.
The EFF in Gauteng said the allegations against the DA councillor were serious enough to warrant her removal from all public responsibilities while the legal process unfolds.
The party’s call comes after Mahonko was arrested on Monday in Crystal Park, following allegations that she tracked down two men she suspected of breaking into her property and subjected them to assault and torture.
One of the men later died from his injuries.
Mahonko appeared in the Benoni Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where she was remanded in custody pending her next court appearance next Thursday.
The EFF said the allegations were particularly serious because Mahonko is an elected public representative who is expected to uphold the law.
“If proven in court, such conduct would amount to vigilantism of the most barbaric kind, where an individual assumes the roles of complainant, investigator, prosecutor, judge and executioner,” the party said.
The EFF said frustration over crime could not justify taking the law into one’s own hands.
“The EFF holds that frustration with crime, however justified, does not give anyone the right to establish a private system of punishment outside the Constitution and the criminal justice system,” it said.
The party also criticised the DA’s response to the matter, saying the decision to refer it to the party’s Federal Legal Commission was inadequate given the seriousness of the allegations.
“The EFF Gauteng is equally disturbed by the DA’s timid response of referring the matter to its Federal Legal Commission,” the party said.
“For a party that routinely lectures South Africans about the ‘rule of law’, accountability and consequence management, an internal bureaucratic referral is glaringly inadequate in the face of allegations as serious as kidnapping and murder.”
The EFF called on the DA to suspend Mahonko from all public responsibilities pending the conclusion of the legal process.
“As a DA PR Councillor in the City of Ekurhuleni, this matter cannot be treated merely as an internal party inconvenience involving an ordinary member,” the party said.
However, the EFF acknowledged that Mahonko remains presumed innocent and that a court would ultimately determine her guilt or innocence.
“The constitutional principle of presumed innocence must be respected, and guilt or innocence will ultimately be determined by a competent court,” it said.
The party, however, argued that this should not prevent the DA from taking political and ethical action while the criminal case is before the courts.
“However, that principle cannot be cynically used as a shield against political and ethical accountability when an elected representative faces allegations of this magnitude,” the EFF said.
The party further called on the South African Police Service and National Prosecuting Authority to investigate and prosecute the matter without fear, favour or political interference.
“Every person who may have participated in the alleged kidnapping, assault and death must be held accountable where the evidence warrants prosecution,” the EFF said.
The ANC in Ekurhuleni also called for the matter to be thoroughly investigated, while stressing that the law must take its course.
The ANC said it viewed Mahonko’s arrest with “grave concern” and called on law enforcement agencies to ensure that the investigation was conducted impartially.
“The allegations are extremely serious. No person, regardless of political affiliation or public office, has the right to take the law into their own hands,” the ANC said.
The party said elected representatives had a responsibility to uphold the Constitution, respect the rule of law and demonstrate responsible leadership.
“Political parties must not shield their members from accountability,” it said.
The ANC said it respected the independence of the courts and would not pre-empt the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
“However, we firmly maintain that justice must be served, due process must be followed, and the law must take its course,” the party said.
The DA in Gauteng has confirmed that it is aware of the matter.
DA Gauteng spokesperson Fred Nel reportedly said the matter had been escalated to the party’s Federal Legal Commission for further action.
