ANC member Mogomotsi Masilo, who accused the party’s Tshwane regional co-ordinator George Matjila of assault, is pursuing a private prosecution against him as he believes he “suffered a miscarriage of justice”.
Masilo, whose assault case against Matjila was not enrolled this week as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute, alleges he was hit in the mouth in front of about 10 ANC Tshwane members at the party's regional offices in Arcadia last month.
Matjila, a strongman in ANC Tshwane politics, denied the allegation, saying it was “lies” aimed at ensuring he was not at the party's upcoming regional conference, which has been postponed to next month.
The NPA said there was “insufficient evidence” to prosecute Matjila, giving him the green light to attend the conference.
Masilo, a Centurion branch co-ordinator, insists he was a victim of gross injustice and will pursue a private prosecution after being granted a nolle prosequi certificate, which allows him to do so.
He alleged he was slapped with the back of a hand and insulted by Matjila after challenging him over referring to ANC members as “boys” in front of party members and an employee from the regional co-ordinator's office.
“Justice was not done. I had followed up my case until the last point. There was no transparency from the court. Later on I found out that the case was withdrawn on the basis of lack of evidence,” Masilo said.
He said none of the prosecutors he spoke to knew about the case.
“That’s where I got worried that there's no justice here. I was humiliated and insulted; he also insulted my mother.”
Matjila handed himself in at the Sunnyside police station three weeks ago and was released on warning under an arrangement to present himself in court on Thursday. However, the case was not enrolled.
Masilo said he would also lodge complaints with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the director of public prosecutions and the department of justice.
“The NPA failed to say, ‘Let’s get the statements from all the people who were there.’ That’s the miscarriage of justice and proves the rumours on the streets that the case would be brought and dismissed,” alleged Masilo.
“On the court register there was no case, even though I received an SMS that said the case would be with the senior prosecutor. I went there to see who is handling the case; it was never on the table of any prosecutor.”
Masilo said he has yet to discover who was responsible for the decision not to prosecute.
NPA north Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana confirmed that the decision not to prosecute was taken due to lack of evidence.
The ANC under Matjila's leadership wrested power in the capital from the DA to form a multiparty coalition with the EFF, ActionSA and other smaller parties.
The ANC's greater Tshwane regional task team announced on Wednesday it had decided to move the regional conference to September 11-13, while the cut-off date for branch general meetings would be August 31.
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