Ekurhuleni Housing Company rejects claims that it hired a hitman to shoot its leaders

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By Botho Molosankwe Time of article published13m ago

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Johannesburg – Ekurhuleni Housing Company (EHC) said it was aware of a message circulating from the disbanded Tenants Committee accusing it of hiring a hitman to shoot the leadership.

This comes after Teboho Makhoa, who worked for the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, died in a hail of 28 bullets fired at his vehicle in Spruitview, Ekurhuleni, on Friday night.

The EHC said it ordinarily did not respond to “lies” peddled by the group whose aim, it said, was to cause destabilisation in the EHC complexes and disturbing the peace of the tenants.

“We believe this is an exceptional case that warrants a response from the EHC given the seriousness of the allegations levelled against the organisation.

“The EHC, as part of the Human Settlements family, is still mourning the loss of a colleague who was brutally killed as he was executing his job.

“We thus take anything that suggests that we are part of the killing machinery with grave concern and disgust. We urge the disbanded leadership to refrain from such messages. We implore them to report any threats and planned hit on the leadership to the South African Police Services.

“We do not want to think that perhaps this clandestine operation to attack the EHC staff and justify such behind such ridiculous messages,” said a statement from CEO Bongani Molefe.

On his visit to the family of Makhoa this week, MEC Lebgang Maile said Makhoa might have been targeted because of his role in the department as one of the officials who allocated RDP houses to beneficiaries and removed illegal occupants.

Chairperson of the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlement Portfolio Committee, Kedibone Diale, said they had learned that their officials were now living in fear

She said the officials were allegedly targeted due to current housing challenges facing the province.

She urged members of the public to refrain from resorting to criminal activity and attacking and victimising officials saying that does not resolve current service delivery challenges but rather endangers the lives of innocent people.

“The Department has been dealing with cases of corruption and following due processes to ensure those found guilty are brought to book, and the Committee will monitor this process closely.

“The Committee calls on community members to come forward with any information that might assist the police and lead to the arrest of those responsible for Makhoa’s murder.

“Crime is unlawful and should at all times be condemned and perpetrators brought to book,” Diale said.

Credit IOL

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