ANC Were Unaware of Paul Mashatile’s Assassination Attempt, Party Learnt of Shooting in the News
- The African National Congress was not aware of any assassination attempt on Paul Mashatile
- Fikile Mbalula stated that the government and Mashatile didn’t inform the party of the incident
- South Africans questioned what was going on within the party if they didn’t know about the shooting
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Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – The recent assassination attempt on Paul Mashatile has made headlines across the country, and it’s through media publications that the African National Congress (ANC) heard about it.
That’s according to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who said that the party was never informed of the shooting.
Media reports on Sunday, 20 April 2025, reported that Mashatile’s car was shot at several times in Johannesburg on 30 March after he left an ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
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Mbalula stated that Mashatile never informed the party
Speaking to eNCA on Wednesday, 23 April, Mbalula stated that they were made aware of the incident when it made headlines.
“We were taken aback by these reports because neither the deputy president nor anyone in government informed the ANC about this situation,” he said.
Mbalula added that it was also concerning that some people questioned the authenticity of the incident, as details about the whole incident had not yet been made public. Many have speculated on social media that the incident was staged so Mashatile could garner more sympathy.
Some even compared it to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, noting that he gained more popularity afterwards.
“Many things get reported, especially in tabloid media. We must be wary of the work of agent provocateurs seeking to define situations and report them as truths,” Mbalula stated.
Police are currently investigating the alleged shooting, with ballistic reports already conducted, and the ANC will await the results of those. While the party has not commented on the shooting, the Economic Freedom Fighters and the South African Communist Party (SACP) expressed concern over the shooting.
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South Africans baffled that ANC were unaware
Mbalula’s admission that the ANC were unaware of the incident until the media reported it has caught many by surprise.
Tharsu Naicker said:
“Shows how disjointed the ANC is.”
Themi Nasis joked:
“You can't beat the ANC comedy routine.”
Mosimanegape Sam claimed:
“The ANC is at war with itself.”
Joshua Mokoena added:
“The ANC doesn't know itself. I guess they don't even know that Godongwana scrapped the Value-Added Tax (VAT) increase.”
Pesa Van Der Nnini stated:
“Imagine being attacked by your own and then having to go back to them and report that their attack failed. Yho, I wouldn't either 😂.”
Sello Jimmy asked:
“ANC government, ya nee, what is going on here?”
Colette de Lima added:
“The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. No wonder the country is like this.”
Cyril Ramaphosa and Mashatile get more security
Briefly News also reported that security had been beefed up for both Mashatile and Cyril Ramaphosa.
The decision was made by the South African Police Service following a recent shooting involving the deputy president.
Mashatile's convoy recently came under fire, as someone shot at his motor vehicle numerous times.
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Source: Briefly News
