A senior African National Congress (ANC) official who blew the whistle on alleged corruption in a 2010 construction project was shot dead in his Nelspruit house on Sunday evening, an official said on Monday.
Mbombela municipality spokesperson Bessie Pienaar said Jimmy Mohlala, the speaker of the Mbombela municipality, was killed and his son was shot and wounded.
Earlier, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Superintendent Abie Khoabane said details of the shooting at a house at Mbombela were sketchy.
"A man was shot dead and his son was also shot," said Khoabane, declining to give more information.
Nothing seemed to have been stolen from his house.
Mohlala was in the news about a year ago following reports that some ANC members wanted him sacked for blowing the whistle on a colleague, Mbombela municipal manager Jacob Dladla.
The local council investigated Dladla on a range of allegations, including the manipulation of tenders in 2010 construction contracts, harassment of council employees, and failure to keep the council updated on progress ahead of the Soccer World Cup, the Mail & Guardian reported last February.
The M&G said ANC officials apparently attempted to cover up the report of Dladla's alleged corruption.
It said at the time that it had reliably learnt that the ANC provincial working committee had wanted to sack Mohlala and the municipal mayor, Justice Nsibande.
A media briefing on his killing will be held in Nelspruit at 3pm on Monday, said Pienaar. -- Sapa
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