ANC: Not all KZN killings are political

But the Umzimkhulu attacks have been linked to a power contest ahead of the regional conference

Sixty people were gunned down in suspected political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal between April 2014 and August 2016. Three people were killed in April and May this year and three survived an assassination bid last week, all in the Umzimkhulu area of the Harry Gwala district where a regional elective conference is to be held next month.

But the spokesperson for the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Mdumiseni Ntuli, has dismissed claims that the recent killings are politically motivated.

Last week, former ANC Youth League secretary general Sindiso Magaqa, now a councillor, and two other ward councillors, Nontsikelelo Mafa and Jabu Mzizi, were attacked by unknown gunmen. All three are in hospital in critical condition.

This attack follows three murders in Umzimkhulu this year. Khaya Thobela, the ANC’s regional deputy secretary and Umzimkhulu’s municipal speaker, died after being shot in April. Khayelihle Mgcwaba, a former ward councillor and a political activist, was murdered in mid-May. A few weeks later, Mduduzi Tshivase, a councillor in Harry Gwala district, was gunned down.

The Moerane Commission of Inquiry, chaired by advocate Marumo Moerane, was established by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu in October to determine the cause of political killings in KwaZuluNatal. It resumed in Durban this week after its June recess.

The ANC’s Ntuli said: “We cannot confirm that the violence is politically motivated and I urge people to stay away from these baseless assumptions. This issue is not that straightforward. There is no clear political motivation. Therefore, to say that the incident is politically motivated is a very dangerous assumption.”

He said several instances in which it was assumed that the deaths of councillors were politically motivated had been proven wrong in the past.

“There were murders of an ANC councillor and mayor not so long ago, and in both instances the perpetrators turned out to be close friends or family members.

“These were clearly not politically motivated. Evidently, not every death of a councillor or mayor is political. No arrests have been made for several of the cases, including the Magaqa incident, so we cannot assume.”

But political analyst Lukhona Mnguni said a thorough analysis of the political dynamics in the area — the violence-riddled Harry Gwala district — showed that more politically motivated violence was likely to occur here ahead of its regional conference. Magaqa is reportedly among the frontrunners for the post of deputy regional secretary in Harry Gwala.

“A regional conference is on the way in Harry Gwala and power is tightly contested,” said Mnguni. “There are clear signs that individuals are fighting for power at all costs. That is why the area is violenceridden at the moment, and the violence is likely to escalate if there is no political intervention. “The Magaqa incident fits into what we have been observing as far as politically motivated killings are concerned. There is a reason why the key political players in the area are protected by private security guards. There is clearly an imminent political threat.”

Hlanganani Lukhozi, the Democratic Alliance councillor in Umzimkhulu, expressed concern about the crisis in the Harry Gwala district, saying the violence in the region was likely to continue, given the jostling for power taking place ahead of the regional conference.

“Remember that Umzimkhulu municipality falls under Harry Gwala and that district will have its regional ANC conference soon, so tensions are high.”

The Harry Gwala regional conference was supposed to take place in June, but was postponed pending the region’s membership audit.

Lukhozi said he believed the hit on Magaqa might be as a result of his status as a favoured candidate for the position of regional deputy secretary on some of the slates circulating in the ANC’s branches.

“The shooting was clearly politically motivated. It is no coincidence that this incident happened in the midst of slates being circulated in branches. In some of the slates, [Magaqa] is tipped to be the next deputy secretary of the region. This is why he is being targeted,” said Lukhozi.