Sicelo Mleve, an ANC councilor in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality was shot at his office on Saturday evening when two men opened fire on him. (Photo: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality/ Facebook)
Tributes are pouring in after the death of Sicelo Mleve (45), an ANC councilor for ward 27 in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in Gqeberha.
Mleve was shot at his office on Saturday night when two men opened fire on him.
He was also an ANC member for the municipality’s executive regional committee.
Nonceba Mhlauli, acting national spokesperson for the ANC, says Mleve was a dedicated representative who was committed to promoting the interests of the community he served.
The ANC has strongly condemned the murder and is calling on law enforcement agencies to arrest those responsible.
“We also appeal to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators to share it with the police.”
The party expressed its deepest condolences to Mleve’s loved ones, colleagues, ward 27 and the wider Nelson Mandela region.
“The fact is that we know in one of your roles you were a present father and today is Father’s Day. The children prepared works of art for Father’s Day at school on Friday… But now we have to put yours next to your lifeless body. We know you praised your little girl’s works of art every chance you got. Rest in peace,” reads a Facebook entry.
Babalwa Lobishe, mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, strongly condemned the murder and said Mleve was widely recognized for his unwavering commitment to community development.
“The murder of Mleve was not only an attack on a public representative, but also an attack on democracy, community participation and our collective efforts to build safer communities.”
Lobishe appealed to all community members who may have seen the incident happen or who have information that could help investigating officers, to come forward and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
Maroela Media earlier reported that Sinovuyo Dyokwe, the DA’s candidate for the by-election in ward 104 in Dunoon in the Western Cape, was also shot dead on Saturday when she returned home from the registration room during voter registration weekend.
According to Nicholas Gotsell, the DA’s constituency head for Atlantis, Blaauwberg, Table View and Dunoon, shots were fired at Dyokwe when she was on her way home after the day’s work at the registration room.
Geordin Hill-Lewis, federal leader of the DA and mayor of Cape Town, also expressed his deepest condolences to Dyokwe’s loved ones and colleagues.
“Sino was an energetic activist and helped the DA achieve its best ever result in terms of growth in a recent by-election, where she was our candidate. Residents in the community loved Sino and she could always be found walking the streets of Dunoon to improve services,” reads her Facebook entry.