Durban – In what has now become a modus operandi for political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, another councillor has been killed after an evening meeting near Camperdown on Wednesday.
This time African National Congress (ANC) ward 3 councillor Kwazi Mkhize, 34, of the uMkhambathini Local Municipality in the Midlands, was gunned down by an unknown assailant outside the Nkanyezini Community Hall.
He had concluded an extended branch executive committee meeting, where he was reporting on development projects in his ward.
According to the ANC in KZN, Mkhize and his siblings were allegedly closing the gate of the community hall when he was killed.
"Although details regarding Cde Mkhize’s murder remain sketchy, it appears his attacker fired from behind and killed him on the scene."
Condemnation
The ANC condemned the killing, saying that Mkhize was a gentle giant who served his community well.
"He was an inspiration and represented the cream of the crop of young cadres that are developed by the movement to service our communities. We have lost a dedicated comrade and a true revolutionary who served the community with dedication."
It added: "This is an act of barbarism to kill [a] public representative and such murders of councillors have a negative effect in all efforts to service delivery to our people. We call on the law enforcement agencies to do everything in their power to root out the evils of crime and violence faced by public representatives."
MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has also called on authorities to clamp down on political killings.
"This tragic death of yet another servant of the community confirms that there are indeed clandestine forces who want to undermine the democratic will of the people.
"There is clearly an agenda to create a blanket of fear and insecurity in our communities through these attacks on their leaders. We [have] full confidence that our law enforcement agencies will speedily apprehend those behind this callous deed," she said.
The Moerane Commission, which was established by Premier Willies Mchunu to investigate political killings, has thus far heard that ANC infighting and readily available hitmen was a large contributing factor to assassinations in the province.
