A former ANC mayor in Limpopo was allegedly robbed of R140,000 in cash at the weekend.
The money was meant to pay party agents. Nakedi Sibanda, the former mayor of Lepelle Nkumpi local municipality, had just withdrawn the cash from a bank when she was accosted by armed men at the ANC regional offices in Polokwane, who robbed her at gunpoint
Sibanda, who is now ANC treasurer at the Peter Mokaba region, said she was with a party administrator when three armed men approached them outside the offices in the parking lot.
Sibanda, who suspected that they were followed from the bank, said she withdrew the money from an ANC account in order to pay over 200 party agents.
Sibanda said: “It was on Saturday when I and an ANC regional administrator went to the bank to withdraw R140,000 from the party’s account to pay for agents who assisted the party in voter registration.
“After withdrawing the money we drove straight to the office, and immediately when we parked the car, we noticed a white Audi sedan driving through the gate,” she said.
“One of the men pulled a gun and went to the administrator, who was driving.
I quickly jumped out of the car and ran into the offices. The men opened the back door of the car and took the bag, which was containing the money.”
Sibanda was forced to resign as mayor in December after her municipality invested R151m in the now liquidated VBS Mutual Bank.
ANC Peter Mokaba regional secretary Eugene Masete said the party was aware of the incident.
“The matter was reported to the police, who are investigating.
“We can further confirm that the money was meant for party agents who had been deployed to various voting stations,” he said.
Police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed that a case of armed robbery was being investigated.
Ngoepe said the money was withdrawn in one of the banks in the Mall of the North in Polokwane. He said no arrests have been made and investigations were continuing.
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