The ANC councillor pulled out a gun while trying to flee from residents complaining about poor service delivery.
ActionSA has condemned the behaviour of an ANC ward councillor in Rustenburg who is under police investigation after he allegedly drew a gun on residents after a squabble over service delivery last week.
Some residents were shocked to witness how Zenzele Xhinela, a councillor for Ward 41 in the Rustenburg municipality, allegedly produced a weapon when an altercation broke out between himself and members of his constituency during a meeting at Meriting Hall in Meriting Extension 2 under the Rustenburg Local Municipality.
The situation developed after the residents questioned him about service delivery and, according to witnesses, he could not provide satisfactory answers. Residents claim there is a pattern of poor service delivery since he was elected in the ward.
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ANC councillor flees from Rustenburg residents
As tensions were running high, the angry councillor reportedly drew a gun and then drove off while still wielding the pistol. After this, some residents burned tyres to express their anger at Xhinela’s behaviour.
Though this happened days ago, the area remains tense as the community is said to be angry because the councillor has not yet been arrested.
Demands for councillor to be arrested
Some of the residents claim they fear for their lives and are demanding the councillor’s arrest.
According to the police, three cases were opened pertaining to the incident at Meriting Hall, where public order police were called to the scene. The police are said to be investigating charges of malicious damage to property, public violence and intimidation, and pointing a firearm.
ActionSA’s Bojanala West regional chairperson Paul Chirwa criticised the councillor for threatening to shoot the residents.
“The Bojanala West REC condemns Councillor Zet Xhinela’s unacceptable behaviour towards the community that voted him into the municipal office as a councillor. We will never tolerate this kind of behaviour and we would like this matter to be addressed by the ANC REC for his removal.
“He is danger to society and harsher action must be taken against him as the deployee of the ANC in the Rustenburg Local Municipality,” Chirwa said.
The party vowed to take the matter to its own provincial executive committee, which would escalate it to Saliva Molapisi, the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs in the North West.
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