Mbeki's Bodyguard Executed; Lekota's Bodyguard Abducted

In a previous post I wrote about my admiration for how old President Thabo Mbeki graciously stepped down before the end of his term, when requested to do so by the ruling national party, the ANC.

At the time I did not know of the murder of Mr Mbeki’s bodyguard. Captain Francois Ramashile, who had served Mr Mbeki for 13 years, was shot in his sleep three days before Mr Mbeki was asked by the ANC to step down. The killing looks suspiciously like an assassination. It happened at Ramashile’s home. His wife, who was sleeping next to him, was not harmed and apparently nothing was stolen.

This looks to me very much like a message sent to Mr Mbeki. Is it possible that his gracious resignation was actually frightened compliance?

Of course, I am merely speculating. The ANC might be innocent in this whole affair. Let's hope that the ruling party is guiltless. But that is the whole problem with this event. There is no certainty and the media is distrustfully quiet about it too.

Here are two forlorn news reports:

• Daily Dispatch

• News 24

Now what really makes the warning lights go off is that Mr Lekota’s bodyguard was recently abducted. "Terror" Lekota, a former high official ANC-member and recently resigned South African Minister of Defence, has been very critical of the ANC ever since Mr Mbeki’s resignation. Mr Lekota is the spearhead behind a possible party split. Apparently one of the abductors told the bodyguard that “this party you and Lekota want to form, you will form in heaven”.
See the News 24 report here.

Original image from Wikipedia.Org.