By: Natasha Archary

The African National Congress (ANC) has called the Zakarriya Park (Zak Park) shooting that claimed a Comrade’s life on Monday, 29 January “cold and calculated murder”.
ANC Comrade Teboho Joala and his bodyguard were shot and killed at a donation drive in Zak Park, south of Johannesburg, and 3 others including City of Johannesburg’s Chief Whip were injured when an unknown number of gunmen opened fire in the community hall.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 30 January the ANC called the callous shooting incident an “open declaration of war against the authority of the state by brazen unrepentant criminals.”
“We view this heinous crime as an open declaration of war as it took place in broad daylight in the presence of hundreds of young learners and their teachers.
The murder of Comrade Teboho Joala and his protector as well as the tragic shooting of the City of Johannesburg’s Chief Whip and others is a great tragedy which has inflicted scars on innocent children and teachers who witnessed it.
The ANC strongly condemns this brutal act and urges law enforcement agencies to do everything possible to bring those responsible to book.
The congress movement is deeply wounded by callous, uncaring men who plot such heinous crimes with impunity. We will not allow the authority of the state to be undermined and for our people to live in fear in a free and democratic South Africa.
We pray for the speedy recovery of one of the most hardworking servants of the people of Johannesburg, Cllr Sithembiso Zungu, as well as the protectors who were shot in the attack.”
Comrade Joaloa was a graduate of the Congress Youth Movement, and selflessly served in the Student Representative Council of TNT which was later renamed Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), under both the South African Student Congress (SASCO) and the ANC Youth League.
He also served as a spokesperson of the ANC in the Great Tshwane Region and gave the best years of his life serving the people f Tshwane and South Africa.
Police are still on the lookout for the suspects involved in the Zak Park shooting.
Also read: Pretoria-based musician DJ Vettys has reportedly been shot



