By Dylan Bettencourt
- Experts say it would’ve been nearly impossible for someone to fire into a fast-moving convoy on the highway.
- The blast happened after an ANC meeting and came just before a Mashatile campaign launch.
A police report has ruled out an assassination attempt on Deputy President Paul Mashatile, saying his convoy was likely hit by stray shotgun pellets.
Mashatile’s convoy came under fire on 30 March while heading home from an ANC National Executive Committee meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni.
But police say it was “probably not intentional”. Two sources told News24 the blast most likely came from stray birdshot and hit his car while it was travelling either on the N12 near Gillooly’s Interchange or the N3 near Modderfontein.
Mashatile was headed home to his R37-million house in Waterfall Estate when the vehicle was struck.
Police are focusing on two things — where the shot came from, and whether the bodyguards reacted properly. No one in the convoy responded at the time, which has confused some officials.
One reason for the confusion is that President Cyril Ramaphosa had taken the same route just minutes earlier. Since the convoys are nearly identical, some suspect the wrong one may have been targeted — though experts say even that’s unlikely.
Shooting from the roadside into a speeding convoy would’ve been extremely difficult. News24 reported that a shooter would have needed to fire from one of nine bridges or the central barrier, both highly visible and dangerous spots.
Lawrence Motshage, a security guard near the N12, said crime is rare in the area and that any gunfire usually comes from a nearby informal settlement — and only on weekends.
The incident was only reported 21 days later — on the same day that a social media campaign titled Mashatile iThemba Lethu (Mashatile Our Hope) launched, fuelling rumours that the Deputy President may have staged the drama to kickstart a bid for ANC president in 2027.
Mashatile himself downplayed the incident during an Easter Sunday speech. “I initially thought it was stones… but the protectors said the impact was too strong.”
Criminologist Dr Guy Lamb said, “We don’t see assassinations done with shotguns. If it was planned, it was badly planned.”
Ballistics expert Thomas Wolmarans explained that birdshot quickly loses power and wouldn’t pierce an armoured car. He said even the damage seen in photos didn’t match a powerful gun.
Mashatile hasn’t said it was an attempt on his life, but his team hasn’t corrected media claims either. His adviser Keith Khoza told Sunday World the vehicle “was hit by what appears to have been a gun”.
Still, police doubt a 9mm handgun was used. If it had been, the bodyguards wouldn’t have mistaken the noise for stones.
Pictured above: Paul Mashatile.
Image source: @MYANC
