African National Congress (ANC) members have remembered slain Gauteng MPL and former Deputy Tshwane ANC Chairperson Mapiti Matsena as a selfless and committed servant of the people.
The party held a memorial service for Matsena at his Doornpoort home, north of Pretoria, where he was stabbed to death last week.
A former worker, Monoko Francis Thoka 29, has been charged with his murder.
ANC members gathered at Matsena’s home in Doornpoort, north of Pretoria, where they remembered him as a man who dedicated his life to improve the lives of the grassroots majority.
ANC Gauteng provincial Treasurer Parks Tau says Matsena will be greatly missed.
Tau says, “He indeed participated as an activist in Pretoria, Tshwane region and he became the leader of the people of Tshwane as the deputy chair of the region of Tshwane. He later became a member of the provincial executive committee of the ANC in Gauteng. A committee in which we’ve had the privilege to serve with him and one can almost always remember his contributions…”
“He brought together a consummate understanding of politics. We will continue to miss his contribution to our collective and to the people of Gauteng, added Tau.
Report on killing of former Tshwane ANC Deputy Chairperson Mapiti Matsena:
ANC Tshwane chairperson Kgoši Maepa says Matsena understood and adhered to ANC processes.
Maepa says, “Comrade Mapiti was nominated as the number one candidate by the regional executive committee of the ANC to be the candidate mayor in 2016 of the ANC. Unfortunately the NEC made another decision, which is the highest decision making body of the ANC, to put comrade Thoko Didiza, but comrade Mapiti understanding that the ANC comes first and the people, he was the first to embrace the decision of the ANC, to say ANC has decided that I must step back and take another role and he went out to mobilise and continue working for the ANC. He did not say just because he was not nominated as the candidate therefore he leaves the ANC.”
The ANC also expressed outrage at a controversial tweet by former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba that contains a video of a large ANC gathering, allegedly violating the COVID-19 regulations.
Mashaba implied that the gathering took place this week at Matsena’s home. The ANC disputed this and called the tweet malicious and misleading as the video is, allegedly, from 2018.
Gauteng ANC Spokesperson Bones Modise says, “The video is false. Hence we issued another statement this morning that Herman Mashaba ought to write the formal apology to the ANC and to the Matsena family because we are very disgusted by the behaviour of Herman Mashaba…”
“If Mr Mashaba believes that he is a leader of stature of a national leader of the country he ought to verify any information that comes to him before he can behave like a love-struck child or a teenager,” added Modise.
Meanwhile, Matsena will be laid to rest at his home village, Senwabarwana near Bochum in Limpopo, on Friday.
Mapiti Matsena murder accused appears in court:
