Murder case opened after EFF councillor killed in Alexandra

The police are investigating a murder case after an EFF PR councillor was fatally shot during a scuffle between law enforcement and residents on Sunday.

Moshe Mphahlele was the deputy secretary of the EFFs Johannesburg region.

Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said a shooting occurred while “metro police and private security were removing people who had allegedly occupied containers in Bramley”.

“Police received information about a man who was shot and taken to the local clinic. Upon arrival at the clinic, police were shown the body of a man who had a gunshot wound.”

A murder inquiry has been opened. No arrests have been made.

The container units, piled on top of one another to form four-storey blocks of flats, were built as Covid-19 shelters as part of a plan to enable social distancing in the high-density neighbourhood while the pandemic was spreading, but it was not used.

The city intended to repurpose them and connect essential services such as electricity and water but the project has been beset by illegal community invasions.

The EFF told TimesLIVE a statement would be released later. The provincial structure did, however, post a brief tribute to Mphahlele on its social media pages.

TimesLIVE