"There was no gun. I don't own a gun and I don't even have a gun license."
A Port Elizabeth man has come forward to expose himself as the man who demanded a house from Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani in his office in February.
The man, Danisile Ngobo, vehemently denies pulling out a gun or making any references to a firearm.
Ngobo said he had an appointment with Bobani for February 25, with the meeting having ended on a good note.
He said the mayor even promised to have the relevant departments resolve his housing request.
In an article published in The Herald on February 27, Bobani alleged that on February 25, a mysterious man breezed through security guards and sat for several hours at City Hall waiting for an opportunity to speak to him.
Bobani alleged that the man pulled out a gun and showed it to him, also demanding the city give him a house.
Speaking at a press conference alongside DA councillors Athol Trollip, Nqaba Bhanga and John Best on Monday, Ngobo explained he sat for hours outside Bobani's office alongside his wife, Bongiswa.
Their daughter later joined them when they picked her up from school.
In a sworn affidavit, which he handed to the metro police three days after the article was published, Ngobo - a former member of the SA National Defence force - said after his house burnt down, he made arrangements to see Bobani.
On the day of the alleged incident, Ngobo said both he and his wife met with the mayor in his office while the security director Shadrack Sibiya was standing in the door way.
Sibiya denied that he was at City Hall at the time.
But Ngobo said: "The mayor then said we need to finalise this matter once and for all tomorrow and that all the parties involved would be called.
"We shook hands and we left after five minutes.
"Whilst in the office of the mayor, neither my wife nor myself put any object on the table of the mayor and neither did my wife point any object at the mayor."
He added he did not know why anyone would make false allegations against him.
Ngobo said he wanted to clear his name although Bobani had never named the man, saying at the time that he did not take down his details.
Bobani said on Monday that he stood by what he said in the interview with The Herald.
He declined to comment further.
Safety and security political head Litho Suka said their investigation discovered that there was an arrangement between Bobani and Ngobo to see each other on that particular day.
“As such, this thing was blown out of proportion or out of context,” Suka said.
Asked about if a gun was involved, Suka directed questions to Bobani and Sibiya.
Sibiya declined to comment while municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality maintained its initial position on the matter.
“This is a security matter. It is being dealt with at that level. The municipality will not comment or share information in relation to the matter,” Mniki said.
The DA said it would join Ngobo in opening a case of crimen injuria and misrepresentation of information with the police against Bobani.
Trollip said: "Unfortunately Mr Ngobo has been accused of a criminal act and his name and his rights have been infringed and we are going to seek protection against these people.
I want to clear my name- says the alleged City Hall intruder
Image: Nomazima Nkosi
"There was no gun. I don't own a gun and I don't even have a gun license."
A Port Elizabeth man has come forward to expose himself as the man who demanded a house from Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani in his office in February.
The man, Danisile Ngobo, vehemently denies pulling out a gun or making any references to a firearm.
Ngobo said he had an appointment with Bobani for February 25, with the meeting having ended on a good note.
He said the mayor even promised to have the relevant departments resolve his housing request.
In an article published in The Herald on February 27, Bobani alleged that on February 25, a mysterious man breezed through security guards and sat for several hours at City Hall waiting for an opportunity to speak to him.
Bobani alleged that the man pulled out a gun and showed it to him, also demanding the city give him a house.
Speaking at a press conference alongside DA councillors Athol Trollip, Nqaba Bhanga and John Best on Monday, Ngobo explained he sat for hours outside Bobani's office alongside his wife, Bongiswa.
Their daughter later joined them when they picked her up from school.
In a sworn affidavit, which he handed to the metro police three days after the article was published, Ngobo - a former member of the SA National Defence force - said after his house burnt down, he made arrangements to see Bobani.
On the day of the alleged incident, Ngobo said both he and his wife met with the mayor in his office while the security director Shadrack Sibiya was standing in the door way.
Sibiya denied that he was at City Hall at the time.
But Ngobo said: "The mayor then said we need to finalise this matter once and for all tomorrow and that all the parties involved would be called.
"We shook hands and we left after five minutes.
"Whilst in the office of the mayor, neither my wife nor myself put any object on the table of the mayor and neither did my wife point any object at the mayor."
He added he did not know why anyone would make false allegations against him.
Ngobo said he wanted to clear his name although Bobani had never named the man, saying at the time that he did not take down his details.
Bobani said on Monday that he stood by what he said in the interview with The Herald.
He declined to comment further.
Safety and security political head Litho Suka said their investigation discovered that there was an arrangement between Bobani and Ngobo to see each other on that particular day.
“As such, this thing was blown out of proportion or out of context,” Suka said.
Asked about if a gun was involved, Suka directed questions to Bobani and Sibiya.
Sibiya declined to comment while municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality maintained its initial position on the matter.
“This is a security matter. It is being dealt with at that level. The municipality will not comment or share information in relation to the matter,” Mniki said.
The DA said it would join Ngobo in opening a case of crimen injuria and misrepresentation of information with the police against Bobani.
Trollip said: "Unfortunately Mr Ngobo has been accused of a criminal act and his name and his rights have been infringed and we are going to seek protection against these people.
"Secondly we are going to open a case of defamation against Bobani for accusing Ngobo of a serious crime because it appears the Metro police have done nothing about this and that is because the metro police are under the very same person implicated in this case".
Speaking at the press conference, Trollip claimed this was an attempt by Bobani to reinstate Afrisec Strategic Solutions, a contract the municipality cut ties with in 2016 and started legal action against the firm for R92m it believes it is owed.
The municipality is, however, pursuing an out-of-court settlement with Afrisec.
Trollip said Bobani did not want to cut ties with the company even when the DA was in a coalition with the UDM.
"Gang-related violence is claiming more lives and it is against that background that this is a concern.
"Bobani is fighting tooth and nail to have Afrisec's contract resuscitated. This is manufactured lie to have the contract reinstated," Trollip said.
ALSO READ
Gunman breezes through to mayor Mongameli Bobani's City Hall office
Why security is so slack at City Hall
Mayor Mongameli Bobani leading Bay investment drive in China
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
News
News
News
News
News