IFP demands task team deployment after second councillor candidate killed

IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa party said the murder of two candidates was an alarming.

Darren Stewart/Gallo Images

The IFP is demanding the urgent deployment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team after two of its councillor candidates were killed in separate incidents weeks before the local government elections.IFP ward 17 councillor candidate,Khethelo Mdluli,40,was shot at his home in Gingindlovu last week. Days after Mdluli’s shooting,another IFP councillor candidate,Lucky Sokhela,in uMshwathi Local Municipality,was gunned down after arriving at his home.For more political news,visit News24 Politics.The IFP is demanding the urgent deployment of the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team after two of its councillor candidates were gunned down in separate incidents within a space of seven days.

In a statement on Thursday,party spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the murder of two candidates was an alarming development.

“KwaZulu-Natal has paid too high a price for political violence. South Africa cannot afford to go backwards. We must ensure that the coming elections are decided by the will of the people – not by fear,intimidation or the barrel of a gun,” he said.

“Political violence,intimidation and assassination have no place in a constitutional democracy. Political differences must never be settled through violence,threats or murder. No political office,election,political disagreement or contest for power is worth a single human life.”

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Hlengwa called on the PKTT to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings,identify the perpetrators,and establish whether political motives may have played a role.

READ | IFP councillor dies days after he was shot in front of his familyThe first killing occurred last Thursday when IFP ward 17 councillor candidate under the uMlalazi Local Municipality,was shot in front of his children at his home in oPhindweni,Gingindlovu.

News24 reported on Wednesday that he succumbed to his injuries on Monday at Ngwelezane Hospital in Empangeni.

Another IFP councillor candidate,from ward 8 in uMshwathi Local Municipality,under the uMgungundlovu District Municipality,was gunned down on Tuesday after arriving at his home.

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Hlengwa added:

The IFP further calls on the National Prosecuting Authority and all relevant law-enforcement agencies to ensure that these cases receive the attention they deserve and that there is no impunity for those who seek to use violence to influence political outcomes. There must be zero tolerance for political violence.

The IFP,he added,called on all political parties,candidates,supporters,community leaders and citizens to reject violence,intimidation and political intolerance.

“We call for a political culture in which parties can compete vigorously on ideas,policies and programmes without turning political differences into personal hostility or violence.

“The IFP therefore calls on all political parties to recommit themselves to political tolerance and to ensuring that the upcoming local government elections are peaceful,free and fair. “Every candidate must be able to campaign without fear. Every voter must be able to cast their ballot without intimidation. Every community must be able to participate in the democratic process without the threat of violence.”

The killings follow a string of deadly attacks on public representatives across the country.

In August,ANC councillor Sibusiso Khwela,who served ward 17 in eThekwini,was gunned down in broad daylight outside his office in Klaarwater,near Mariannhill.

Later,last month,former Knysna mayor and ANC councillor Aubrey Tsengwa was shot dead.

READ | KZN premier calls for peace as political killings escalate ahead of 4 November polls

News24 previously reported that KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said he had been considering meeting with political parties to discuss their role in bringing peace and stability to the province.

At the time,Ntuli said: “We are worried because since the 2021 local government elections,we have lost almost 18 councillors in the province of KwaZulu-Natal,and the epicentre of all these killings is the eThekwini metro.”

He warned that the elections should be a time for choosing leaders,not for squabbling over positions.

In June,News24 reported that the MK Party had lost nine councillor candidates in the space of eight days,most of them in KwaZulu-Natal,signalling a rise in the struggle for power and influence ahead of the elections.

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While KwaZulu-Natal has always been the epicentre of political violence,no party or province was immune. In Cape Town,a DA ward candidate and another from Build One SA (BOSA) were killed.

In the Eastern Cape,an ANC councillor was killed,and in Matlosana in the North West,a spate of political killings claimed the lives of three community activists and one ward councillor.

To watch our video podcast,visit Real Politiki.

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