A veil of secrecy surrounds the shooting of the Ekurhuleni CFO who was allegedly ambushed by unknown gunmen who pumped his car with bullets, injuring him in the hand.
At least six senior officials at the council who Sowetan approached when news of Kagiso Lerutla's shooting emerged on Sunday, denied any knowledge of the incident. Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana said he would call Lerutla's family to get information and later said the city did not know anything about the incident.
According to his colleagues and friends, Lerutla was attacked in Primrose on Thursday afternoon when he was travelling alone towards Germiston He allegedly tried to use his arm to protect his face before speeding off to safety.
“He noticed a Hyundai 110 behind him ... it overtook him and then stopped in front [of his car] and the occupants started firing at him. It was two guys, one in the front and one at the back of the Hyundai. He drove off until he got to his house where he removed the two bullets out of his hand. He then went to open a case at Kempton Park police station,” said Lerutla's friend.
Sowetan was given a case number which was forwarded to the police for verification.
Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said yesterday: “As per the case number you provided, that is an attempted murder case opened on 15 September 2023 for further investigation. There is no one arrested as yet.”
Municipal spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said he did not know about the incident. “We are not commenting on this matter because we do not know the facts. The person to ask is the CFO himself,” said Dlamini.
Asked if any official had contacted Lerutla, Zweli said: “This is a personal matter.”
Lerutla said he was not ready to talk about the incident. “I'm still not well and this is not the right time to be talking about this thing. Let's leave it,” he said before hanging up the phone.
Sowetan understands that Lerutla reported to work with a bandaged hand on Monday and Tuesday.
An employee at the council headquarters where he works in Germiston said Lerutla appeared to be badly injured.
“I heard in the corridors that he [Lerutla] was shot. We don't know why he was attacked and people have come with various speculations,” said the employee.
Lerutla first worked at the auditor-general before going to the City of Ekurhuleni in 2014 as a divisional head: governance and compliance within the city’s finance department. In 2019, and at age 33, he was promoted to his current position and was hailed by then mayor Mzwandile Masina as a rising star.
“Mr Lerutla as GCFO reflects the City of Ekurhuleni’s commitment to youth development and entrusting young people with great responsibilities,” Masina said at the time.
Masina also refused to comment on the attack on Lerutla.
Mystery of Ekurhuleni CFO's shooting
Two unknown gunmen open fire at Lerutla's car
Image: supplied
A veil of secrecy surrounds the shooting of the Ekurhuleni CFO who was allegedly ambushed by unknown gunmen who pumped his car with bullets, injuring him in the hand.
At least six senior officials at the council who Sowetan approached when news of Kagiso Lerutla's shooting emerged on Sunday, denied any knowledge of the incident. Mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana said he would call Lerutla's family to get information and later said the city did not know anything about the incident.
According to his colleagues and friends, Lerutla was attacked in Primrose on Thursday afternoon when he was travelling alone towards Germiston He allegedly tried to use his arm to protect his face before speeding off to safety.
“He noticed a Hyundai 110 behind him ... it overtook him and then stopped in front [of his car] and the occupants started firing at him. It was two guys, one in the front and one at the back of the Hyundai. He drove off until he got to his house where he removed the two bullets out of his hand. He then went to open a case at Kempton Park police station,” said Lerutla's friend.
Sowetan was given a case number which was forwarded to the police for verification.
Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said yesterday: “As per the case number you provided, that is an attempted murder case opened on 15 September 2023 for further investigation. There is no one arrested as yet.”
Municipal spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said he did not know about the incident. “We are not commenting on this matter because we do not know the facts. The person to ask is the CFO himself,” said Dlamini.
Asked if any official had contacted Lerutla, Zweli said: “This is a personal matter.”
Lerutla said he was not ready to talk about the incident. “I'm still not well and this is not the right time to be talking about this thing. Let's leave it,” he said before hanging up the phone.
Sowetan understands that Lerutla reported to work with a bandaged hand on Monday and Tuesday.
An employee at the council headquarters where he works in Germiston said Lerutla appeared to be badly injured.
“I heard in the corridors that he [Lerutla] was shot. We don't know why he was attacked and people have come with various speculations,” said the employee.
Lerutla first worked at the auditor-general before going to the City of Ekurhuleni in 2014 as a divisional head: governance and compliance within the city’s finance department. In 2019, and at age 33, he was promoted to his current position and was hailed by then mayor Mzwandile Masina as a rising star.
“Mr Lerutla as GCFO reflects the City of Ekurhuleni’s commitment to youth development and entrusting young people with great responsibilities,” Masina said at the time.
Masina also refused to comment on the attack on Lerutla.
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