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Notorious Mpumalanga politician Khaya Segone (43) is facing two more attempted murder charges besides a spate of allegations that have been made against him over the past few years.
Segone, who is a former speaker of Delmas Local Municipality, handed himself over to the police last week Thursday. He was charged alongside Mxolisi Thusi, Jabulani Mashao and Sibusiso Ntuli. They were released on R2 000 bail on Friday.
He left the ANC just before the local government elections last year and formed his own organisation, the African Voice Progressive Party, which won three seats.
Segone abandoned the ANC because he was about to be forced to step aside as he faced 30 charges, which included public violence, kidnapping, discharging a firearm on municipal premises, incitement to commit crime, assault and crimen injuria, including assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and intimidation.
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The former speaker was widely accused of commanding a vigilante group of youth wearing yellow overalls that conducted a reign of terror against his enemies and political rivals.
His recent arrest follows a complaint by his accuser, Clifford Mkhonto, that Segone and the three men allegedly accused him of selling drugs and took him to the local police station. While there, some of the gang members allegedly set his house on fire.
“The police could not arrest me because there was no case. When I returned home, I found that my house had been burned,” Mkhonto said. “I then drove to Shoprite and saw one of the gang members who ran away.” He added:
Mkhonto said that the group of men repeatedly flogged him with sjamboks and pickaxe handles and threw stones at him.
Segone said on Monday that the charges were politically motivated. “The ANC wants to destroy my party and there is a police officer who had been telling people that all those who supported my party would be arrested.
“Of all the charges laid against me, only two remain. I will wait for my day in court to deal with these cases,” Segone added.
Among the plethora of allegations, Segone was alleged to have been responsible for removing former Victor Khanye mayor Eva Makhabane after their working relationship soured. Makhabane had laid seven charges of assault and intimidation against the former speaker since becoming mayor in 2011.
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The ANC decided to redeploy Makhabane to the Nkangala district office late in 2019 after Segone’s group allegedly stormed the municipal offices and sprayed her and employees with fire extinguishers and pepper spray.
The group also allegedly kidnapped ANC councillor Ezekiel Sekhukhune from his home on April 16 2019 after accusing him of interfering in mining issues in his ward. Sekhukhune was driven to the municipal council chambers, where he was allegedly flogged with crutches, punched and kicked.
Another ANC councillor, Mishack Thombeni, was allegedly assaulted at a car wash on August 30 2020.
Segone allegedly came in his blue-light vehicle with some of the gang members and they harassed and beat up people at the car wash. Thombeni alleged they beat him up and confiscated his firearm.
