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Early on Wednesday morning, 23 July 2024, a group of heavily armed men descended upon the municipal offices of Matatiele Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The sudden and dramatic appearance of these armed individuals, captured on video and published by the Informer Digital News on their Facebook page on 24 July 2024, sparked widespread concern and speculation about their intentions.
The video quickly went viral, prompting a mixed response from the community. While many expressed alarm, others suggested that the men were bodyguards for the local mayor, Cllr. Sonwabile Mngenela, and urged calm. Despite these assurances, the unsettling sight of armed men at the municipal offices has left the town shaken and anxious about their true motives.
The municipality has since issued a statement denying any accusations of wrongdoing and dismissing claims of a kidnapping attempt as completely false. However, the incident has underscored the urgent need for increased security measures at municipal buildings to ensure the safety of officials and staff.
The Mayor is safe and is busy with his day to day duties of delivering services to the people of Matatiele. We call upon those who are behind circulating these fabricated stories to desist from such acts,” said Municipal Manager, Mr. Lizo Matiwane.
VIDEO: These are the heavily armed men that came to the municipal offices of Matatiele local municipality in the Eastern Cape early this morning.
Later, there were widespread local media reports that the Mayor, Sonwabile Mngenela, has been kidnapped.
The municipality has since… pic.twitter.com/ffu45Vycng
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) July 24, 2024
Despite the municipality’s denials, the episode has highlighted the necessity for heightened security at public buildings. The safety of officials and employees is of utmost importance, and steps must be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Matatiele community is left with numerous unanswered questions. What were the intentions of these armed individuals, and who were they? Cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the municipality is essential to ensure those responsible are held accountable and to provide clarity to the concerned public.
At the point of publication, it is still unclear as to who were the men in black, heavily armed.
