By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The home of senior ANC Amathole district municipality councillor and mayoral committee member Nanziwe Rulashe, who made headlines last week when a video emerged of her being dragged through her office floor, was shot at in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It is understood that an unknown armed suspect gained access to her home in East London and fired several shots through her bedroom window.
Rulashe’s children, who were in the house when the attack took place, escaped unharmed.
Eastern Cape police spokersperson, Tembinkosi Kinana said, “according to our information, an unidentified suspect arrived and started shooting through the bedroom window of the complainant. She was not in the room at the time of the incident but only children who allegedly escaped unhurt as they were in other rooms.”
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are not known at this stage. The SAPS will not [speculate],” he said.
“Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene has ordered the establishment of a task team and has appointed a senior officer to lead the investigations,” added Kinana.
The Amathole District Municipality made headlines for all the wrong reasons when a viral video showing Rulashe being manhandled at the municipal offices emerged.
The video show Rulashe being dragged across the floor by armed men who were allegedly instructed by the head of security to remove the councillor from the premises.
Following the previous attack, the Amathole Municipality said it was “deeply disturbed by the humiliating incident” when Rulashe was dragged out by gunmen “in an inhumane and barbaric manner”.
Executive Mayor Cllr Nceba Ndikinda said the incident took place while “political leadership and Municipal Manager were engaged in Council business in Mnquma and Mbhashe”.
The municipality said it “understands the gravity and the harm it caused to Council Rulashe as a woman and a human being”, and vowed to “institute a detailed investigation with the view to uncover all the facts”.
“We are fully alive [sic] to the trauma that has been caused to Councillor Rulashe and as such we will provide her with the necessary professional support through a counsellor.”