Rand Water rebuke ‘misleading’ reports over slain executive

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Rand Water has raised concerns and disappointment over what it term misleading reports and allegations about the passing on of its Chief Shared Services Officer, Teboho Joala.

Joala and his bodyguard were assassinated while Joburg council chief whip Sithembile Zungu sustained gunshot wound during a back-to-school handover event in Zakariyya Park, south of Johannesburg on Monday, January 29.

The water utility company confirmed issuing a memo alerting employees and public of the danger of circulating such information.

“In this communique, the organisation is warning that these mischievous reports and information at large, have the potential to create uncertainty and jeopardise the formal investigations by the law-enforcement agencies,” said spokesperson Makenosi Maroo.

She then appealed to the media to refrain from reporting on unconfirmed and unsubstantiated information from faceless and nameless sources.

Maroo added; “We strongly believe in the journalistic values of fairness, accuracy, credibility, honesty and would like to implore all journalists to observe them diligently.

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“It is also important to reiterate that the organisation is cooperating with the law enforcement agencies in their investigation of this callous and barbaric incident.”

She stated that no further information will be released to the media as they do not want to jeopardise the investigations.

Meanwhile, Joala’s family says it will not rest until justice is served, EWN reported.

The inconsolable family said that the people who killed him, took away a father, a husband and someone who served his community.

Joala’s uncle, Lebowana Chaka, said it’s not only heartbreaking that his nephew was killed but that it was done in such a gruesome way.

Chaka said that they would not rest until the perpetrators were held accountable.