Probe into alleged assassination attempt on Mashatile finalised, Cachalia tells MPs

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said that the investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on Deputy President Paul Mashatile has been finalised.

But the findings of the police investigation into the shooting of Mashatile’s car in March, while travelling from an African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee (NEC) meeting, have not been released and are subject to classification.

Cachalia was responding to a question from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)’s Omphile Maotwe on whether there was an ongoing investigation into the alleged assassination attempt and what the progress was.

In March this year, Mashatile’s office confirmed that his official car was shot at several times while he was travelling from an ANC NEC meeting in the east of Johannesburg.

The incident was suspected to be an assassination attempt on Mashatile and the police promptly opened an investigation.

In a written parliamentary reply released last week, Cachalia said that the police’ Crime Intelligence division and the State Security Agency (SSA) "have finalised the enquiry investigation".

He said that any progress would be reported "once the investigation has been finalised, subject to the classification of the findings".

Mashatile’s spokesperson, Keith Khoza, said at the time that the incident happened along the N12, and Mashatile’s car was hit on the windscreen by what appeared to have been a bullet upon further inspection.

Mashatile had been travelling home from an ANC NEC meeting when a vehicle that formedpart of his convoy was shot at in Boksburg, Gauteng.

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