By OBAKENG MAJE
A bodyguard belonging to the ANC deputy chairperson in North West, Lazzy Mokgosi suffered injuries after a shoot-outs incident at a guesthouse in Vryburg. It is alleged that two bodyguards assigned to protect Mokgosi were returning to a guesthouse, where they were booked in after completing their daily duties.
According to the North West police spokesperson in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen, the incident took place in the early hours of the morning on 9 September 2022.
“Upon the arrival of the bodyguards at the guesthouse, they found two suspicious-looking men standing next to a parked Mercedes Benz. As the two bodyguards alighted their vehicle to find out what the two men were doing at the vehicle, shots were fired toward them.
“Mr Mpho, who was the passenger managed to escape and went to report the incident, whilst Mr Evans who was the driver was injured during the shoot-out. He sustained injuries on his leg and hand,” van Rooyen said.
She further said the suspects managed to flee from the scene before the police could arrive. Van Rooyen added that, the injured bodyguard was ferried to a local hospital in Vryburg for medical attention.
“A case of attempted murder was opened and upon initial investigation, it was confirmed that the owner of the guesthouse suffered a theft, whereby his two vehicle keys were stolen.
“It is suspected that, the suspects tried to steal the vehicle when the bodyguards disrupted them. So, the shooting incident does not have any relation to the ANC provincial deputy chairperson and was not at all aimed at him,” said van Rooyen.
She said an investigation into the matter continues.
Meanwhile, the ANC spokesperson in North West, Tumelo Maruping said: “Indeed, we can confirm that the security personnel who is working with Mr Mokgosi was involved in an unfortunate shooting with some unknown gunmen.
“However, at this stage, there is no evidence that suggests the shooting has anything to do with Mr Mokgosi because he was not there at the time of the incident.”
Maruping said the incident happened at the place of residence, where Mr Mokgosi’s protectors were booked to sleep. He said the incident could have been a robbery gone wrong, which the protectors could have intercepted during their arrival.
“In our view, Mr Mokgosi’s life is not under threat. The acceptance of the newly-elected ANC leadership is overwhelming across the province, therefore at this stage, there are no indications for a panic,” he concluded.
Mokgosi failed to respond to our WhatsApp messages and telephonic calls.
The Guardian 