Durban — The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has written to police management, demanding to see the threat-assessment report which said the DA councillor who survived an apparent assassination attempt was not in danger.
This was in the wake of an attack on ward 9 councillor Nonsikelelo Msomi at her house in Molweni, outside Hillcrest, last week. The attack came after the withdrawal of her bodyguards by the eThekwini Municipality, which said it had received a crime intelligence report that said she was not in any danger.
DA provincial deputy chairperson Sithembiso Ngema said the party was puzzled by the municipality’s decision to withdraw Msomi's protection on the basis of a police report.
Ngema said the party, through its legislature safety and liaison committee member Sharon Hoosen had written to Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s office, asking to see the report used by the municipality as the basis to withdraw the bodyguards.
“We are concerned with the treatment of our councillor by the municipality, particularly Speaker Thabani Nyawose. What worries us most is that Nyawose had not provided the report to us or the councillor, but only read out the contents of the report to her.
“We do not understand how the report came back saying she was not in danger (when) a few weeks later she was attacked. It is clear people were not attacking her because she had bodyguards,” said Ngema.
Msomi told the Daily News she did not know how police crime intelligence conducted the threat assessment without interviewing her or her family.
The councillor said she had been the subject of threats since she won the ward in November. Initially, the municipality had provided her with bodyguards, but they were withdrawn last month.
“I told the speaker I did not believe the report was authentic and did not know how the threat assessment of my life was done without a single question to me or my family,” she said.
“I am not a police officer, but I assume that to investigate threats against someone you have to speak to that person at least once or twice. Now look at what has happened.”
eThekwini spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the speaker and the city were shocked to learn of the attack. He said they were looking into the matter.
Daily News