PLETTENBERG BAY – Bitou deputy mayor Nokuzola Kolwapi is expected to appear in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 23 June, to face charges relating to allegedly firing a gun in public during her son’s homecoming celebration in December last year.
The charges stem from a viral video showing Kolwapi brandishing what appeared to be a 9mm firearm and firing multiple shots into the air while dancing at her son’s umgidi cultural celebration in KwaNokuthula on 21 December 2025.
In a separate clip from the same event, she is seen handing what is believed to be the weapon to her bodyguard as onlookers continued to gather and celebrate around her.
Southern Cape police confirmed that a 55-year-old suspect had been summoned in relation to the case, though he would not divulge the identity of the individual involved. The charges are being brought in terms of contraventions of the Environment Conservation Act.
Kolwapi has maintained that the object seen in the footage was not a real firearm. In a previous statement, she insisted it was a “replica toy gun” and sought to contextualise the incident within broader societal challenges. A request for further comment sent to Kolwapi has yet to be received.
The case has drawn comparisons to that of Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, who was found guilty of unlawfully discharging a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and reckless endangerment in connection with a 2018 EFF rally in Mdantsane.
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