Intra-political conflicts main cause of political killings in KZN
ANC, IFP and NFP are the parties affected the most by political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 52 councillors have been murdered.
Police Minister Bheki Cele says investigations of the political killings in KwaZulu-Natal have revealed that the most affected political parties are the African National Congress (ANC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and National Freedom Party (NFP).
Since 2011, 52 councillors have been murdered, including 31 councillors from the ANC, 14 from the IFP, and four from the NFP.
52 MURDERED IN POLITICAL KILLINGS IN KZN
During the briefing in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, 6 September, Cele said while 52 councillors have been gunned down since 2011 to date, alarmingly 103 officials working within municipalities as political office bearers and officials in political offices were killed.
Cele said causative factors for these crimes are linked to intra-political conflicts, with a few cases linked to other motives, such as taxi violence, domestic related issues, business competition and traditional leadership competition, as well as family feuds.
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“Murder cases that were reported before the 2016 and 2021 Local Government Elections were mainly as a result of fighting over councillors’ positions; where candidate councillors were eliminated.
“The majority of the murder cases reported after the 2016 and 2021 Local Government Elections were associated with infighting within structures and municipalities over positions,” Cele said.
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