MEC MORWENG CALLS FOR CALM FOLLOWING THE KILLING OF MAHIKENG ACTIVIST THATO MOLOSANKWE

The North West MEC for the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Wessels Morweng has called for calm following the brutal killing of well-known Mahikeng community activist, Mr Thato Molosankwe.

According to the South African Police Service, Mr Molosankwe was shot and killed in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday, the 20th of May 2026 at the family business premises at Lomanyaneng village outside Mahikeng.

MEC Morweng has appealed for calm to allow the police to conduct investigation unobstructed. He implored on the community to assist the police with, “any information however innocuous it may seem to expedite speedy apprehension of the doers of this heinous crime”, said MEC Morweng.

Mr Thato Molosankwe sprung to national prominence about sixteen years ago when he walked over one thousand and three hundred kilometres from Cape Town to Mahikeng. The gruelling but meritorious act was to raise awareness of women and child abuse. In 2018 he embarked on yet another even more arduous but ambitious solo walk from Cape to Cairo and back.

This trip, had it been successful would have covered twenty-four thousand kilometres going through 49 of the 54 African countries. However, immigration challenges experienced in Zambia meant cul-de-sac to the trip. It was after this that he began community activism sharply raising various societal issues especially about service delivery.

However, it was during what is referred to as the ‘July Unrest’ that he endeared himself to local business. The July 2021 unrest primarily affected the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Provinces resulting in over 350 deaths and an estimated R50 billion in economic damages. Molosankwe and a group of other local activists galvanised local communities to not only desist from looting shops but protect businesses from acts of any criminality.

Accompanied by the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Mayor, Councillor Khumalo Molefe and Mahikeng Local Municipality Mayor, Councillor Tshepiso Mphehlo, engaged the community who gathered outside the family home.

“With the community support, the cold-blooded criminals who did this will be apprehended. Once more we are appealing for calm as such dastardly act has a potential to whips up emotions. We are confident that soon the police will have a breakthrough.
We send our deepest sympathies to the Molosankwe family and all those whose lives have been touched by Thato’s generosity”, said MEC Morweng.

ENDS!!!

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT