ANC condemns Boy Mamabolo’s threat to ‘shoot’ journalist

The African National Congress (ANC) has said it intends looking into allegations its Member of Parliament (MP) Boy Mamabolo, threatened a journalist and will subsequently take action.

The party has condemned Mamabolo, who is no stranger to controversy, for his verbal attack towards Sunday World journalist Ngwako Malatji.

The reporter had allegedly reached out to Mamabolo, over remarks had made about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to ban the sale of alcohol again.

In what is believed to be an audio recording of Malatji’s exchange with Mamabolo, which is in Sepedi, the fiery MP can be heard saying:

“Ketlhwa ke go botja gore otlhwa ongwala masepa (I have always told you that you write sh**t)

Ketlo go betha ka gun wase tshepe one day a kegobotse maaka. (I’m going to shoot you one day and you wont believe it, I’m not lying).’’

In response, Malatji said:

“Ketlogo bolula case wa nthreathena? (I’m going to open a case against you, are you threatening me?) ’’

Mamabolo then responds:

“Keirle ketlo go raga marete, keirle ketlo go raga marete, wa bona ya marete yona e rekhode, kerile ketlo go raga marete. (I said I’m going to kick your testicles, you see, that you can record. I promise you)

The journalist has since opened a case against the MP at the Mondeor Police Station in Johannesburg.

In a statement, the ANC said Mamabolo’s conduct was unacceptable and inconsistent with the party’s values.

“This behaviour is also not in keeping with what is expected of a Public Representative”, spokesperson Pule Mabe said in a statement.

Mabe: ‘We will continue defending the media’

“In a democracy such as ours, there is no place for the intimidation of journalists – they cannot be insulted and threatened for merely doing their job. The ANC holds the view that a free and robust press is the lifeblood of our constitutional democracy”, Mabe added.

The party has also vowed to continue defending media freedom in the country as well as the rights of journalists to do their work without fear of favour.

It remains to be seen whether the ANC’s response will be welcomed by  the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), which have been leading calls for Mamabolo to be dealt with.

“We hope that SAPS will take this threat against the journalist seriously and carry out the necessary investigation. We hope that the MP responsible for the threats will be brought to justice to show that this unparliamentary behaviour has no place in our democracy. We also call on the ANC to show that it does not tolerate such behaviour within its ranks and that it will duly take steps to discipline its member”, said Sanef Executive Director Kate Skinner.