Parties seek action against MK MP Mngxitama over deleted post
The DA and Freedom Front Plus want MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama investigated over a deleted social media post about a farm attack near Ventersdorp.
Two opposition parties want uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party MP Andile Mngxitama to face consequences after he posted, then removed, a comment about a violent farm attack near Ventersdorp, according to The Citizen.
What the parties are asking for
Mngxitama, who used to lead the Black First, Land First movement, published the post on X on Saturday evening. He later deleted it, but screenshots had already been shared by people drawing attention to the brutality of farm attacks. In the post he linked the attack to the land issue and described farm life as marked by systematic violence.
On Sunday, the DA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) each said they would take the matter to the South African Human Rights Commission, asking it to decide whether the post amounted to hate speech.
DA agriculture spokesperson Desiree van der Walt said promoting violence was “patently unconstitutional” and that Mngxitama should be disciplined. She warned that such dog whistles could lead to more violence and intimidation.
FF+ chief whip Heloïse Denner said her party would also lodge a complaint with parliament’s ethics committee. She called the remarks hate speech and said MPs undertake to put the public interest and parliament ahead of their own. “Mngxitama does not belong in parliament,” she said.
The Citizen’s report did not include any response from Mngxitama.
Arrests in the Ventersdorp case
The farmer, Donovan Marx, was allegedly shot and assaulted on Wednesday, 28 October. Police described him as a 50-year-old man who was brutally attacked.
Five suspects, the youngest 26 and the oldest 56, have since been taken into custody. Two were caught near Ventersdorp on Saturday, and the others near Potchefstroom on Sunday. Police said they recovered four firearms, two of which are linked to the Ventersdorp incident, along with clothing and jewellery.
The suspects are due to appear in the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom courts on Tuesday. The charges are attempted murder, house robbery, and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
What happens next
Several processes are now likely to run side by side:
- The SAHRC will have to decide whether to look into the complaints from the DA and FF+.
- Parliament’s ethics committee will receive the FF+ complaint against Mngxitama.
- The five suspects will make their first court appearances on Tuesday.
No finding has been made against Mngxitama, and the suspects have not been convicted of any crime.
This story is based on reporting by The Citizen.
