POLICE in Gauteng have denied that EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was a rape suspect after a 23-year-old woman was allegedly raped at an upmarket penthouse in Sandton last week.
According to the Daily Sun, the victim named Ndlozi as the rape suspect in her police statement, but Ndlozi denied he was at the Sandton penthouse and he did not know the victim.
Ndlozi told the newspaper it was possibly a case of mistaken identity and that he would co-operate with authorities if they contacted him about the case.
In a statement yesterday, Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathaphelo Peters said there was a rape case opened, but denied that Ndlozi was a suspect in the matter.
“We can confirm that the case of rape that is in reference was indeed opened and is under investigation.
“While police are not at liberty to disclose or confirm identities of victims/complainants and suspects, we can further confirm that Ndlozi is not a suspect in this case.
“Police hereby place it on record that the reporter behind this article in reference has not sought the comment of the Gauteng provincial head of corporate communication on this matter even after he was advised to do so.
“Instead, Amos Mananyetso went ahead and published his story based on, according to the article, the victim’s statement, a legal and confidential document that can only have been obtained through unlawful and unethical means,” Peters said.
The EFF welcomed the police statement and expressed concern that political battles were being fought through rape and gender-based violence.
EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said linking Ndlozi to the rape incident was a deliberate attempt to defame the MP.
“There are embedded elements in with the state working with this established establishment that are hell-bent on linking EFF leadership to crime because they think such will prevent the unavoidable meteoric rise of the EFF to political power in South Africa.
“We call on the leaders of the EFF to be on alert because the enemy is out to get us,” said Pambo.
The EFF sent a warning to President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying they were “aware” that such claims were being made to fight party political and factional battles.
“We caution the sitting president because we are fully aware that attempts to destroy the integrity of the EFF and its leadership is done to protect Cyril Ramaphosa and his faction which exists to please white people.
“We are a generation that will not be abused and pushed around by apartheid agents and infiltrators of the liberation cause. We will fight back and we will be victorious,” said Pambo.
“The crisis of gender-based violence and rape is a huge problem in South Africa and must never we used to fight political battles.
“The sitting government and the ruling party must caution their hunting dogs to stop using false allegations of gender-based violence and rape to fight narrow political and fictional battles. Society as a whole should reject the nonsensical misuse of a struggle against GBV and rape for political battles.
“It is unacceptable and must stop. We encourage Dr Ndlozi to remain strong and focused and continue with the economic excellent work he is doing on the ground and in Parliament
“All these shenanigans will be exposed for what they are,” said Pambo.
IOL