On killers’ heels, or paying lip service?
ANC not taken seriously in investigation of KZN political deaths Old apartheid flag like a doek – Super Zuma
WHILE the ANC in Kwazulu-natal said it was on the heels of the people who were assassinating its members, a political analyst said it was just “lip service”.
Super Zuma, provincial secretary, said an internal provincial task team had been established but no one had yet been arrested.
He was reacting to the deaths of Lungisani Mnguni, 34, and Sthembiso Mhlongo, 35, both members at the Moses Mabhida Region, which is led by Mthandeni Dlungwane, also MEC for Education. They were both gunned down this week.
Mhlongo was the ANC Youth League’s deputy secretary in the region, while Mnguni was the only delegate from Ward 7 in Camperdown, who was due to attend the December ANC elective conference.
Zuma said the team was focused on hotspots like the Harry Gwala and Moses Mabhida.
Analyst Thabani Khumalo, who said he had been keenly following the deaths, blamed ANC leaders for “looking the other way” even though they know what was fuelling the killings. “The ANC is deeply divided. Unless they unite, more people are going to die.”
As the road to the ANC elective conference became more bloody, Khumalo said the issue would feature prominently in Gwede Mantashe’s secretariat report, to be given during the conference.
“Mantashe’s report, without touching extensively on political killings, will be half-prepared,” said Khumalo.
In July, former ANCYL secretary-general, Sindiso Magaqa, was shot in his hometown, Umzimkhulu. He subsequently died in September.
In April, Magaqa’s brother-in-law, Khaya Thobela, who was also the Harry Gwala region’s deputy secretary, and Umzimkhulu municipality speaker, Khaya Thobela, was shot dead.
The following month, former Umzimkhulu councillor and branch leader Khaya Mgcwaba was gunned down.
Close to 60 ANC members have died since March 2014, which prompted the provincial government to institute the Moerane Commission that is tasked with investigating the politically motivated deaths. Some occurred while the commission was sitting.
Leaders of the ANC and its alliance partner, the SACP, testified at the commission.
Khumalo said of their testimonies: “They like to play with words and shifting the responsibility. No one wants to say I am wrong and take responsibility.”
Explaining the worrying trend, Khumalo said: “In 2014, one would think that the killings were triggered by the general elections held that year.
“Last year, the killings within the ANC were sparked by the branch nomination process for the local government elections held in August. This year, it’s the party’s the elective conference.”
Zuma was firm that the party was not resting on its laurels and was seriously addressing the matter.
“The killings are rife, but the party is doing something about it and we will not rest until the culprits are arrested. What we noted is that the killings have now shifted from Harry Gwala region to Moses Mabhida region because the task team is working hard on that region.
He said: “We will not say the killings are only within the party, we told the Moerane Commission that the motives for the killings were deeper than we thought and should be investigated both internally and externally.”
Zuma shot down claims that this was an intra-party matter.
“For example, some of the culprits that were arrested in Umkhanyakude (northern KZN) were not ANC members. They belong to another party.”
Zuma would not disclose any information about the composition of the task team, and said it was a confidential internal matter. ANC secretary in Kwazulunatal Super Zuma lauded Umkhonto we Sizwe military veterans for “defending the revolution” and burning the old apartheid South African flag, saying it was “like a doek”.
“I cannot equate our current flag to the apartheid flag because it’s like a doek now,” Zuma said.
Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) members from across the province gathered at Mariannhill toll plaza in retaliation to the Black Monday protest held last month by white farmers, which was supported by Afriforum.
The veterans also protested against the ill-treatment of farmworkers.
“We don’t support the killing of any person regardless of their colour. But people must respect the government,” Zuma said.
Themba Mavundla, provincial chairperson of the MKMVA, said the hoisting of the old apartheid flag during the Black Monday protests could not be tolerated and it was an act of treason.
“We didn’t lay down our guns because we were scared of them, but we respected Nelson Mandela, who ordered us to do so after we obtained democracy. If they want us to clash again, we are ready for them,” said Mavundla to cheers.
The protest was attended by about 300 veterans. Traffic on the N3 to and from Durban came to a standstill.
“We are blocking trucks because they belong to the people. We want to send our message to the people who continue to ill-treat black farmers and still believe in the old apartheid flag,” Mavundla said.
The protest was guarded by metro police, the Road Traffic Inspectorate and the SAPS.
Mavundla called for the SAPS members who had witnessed the hoisting of the old flag to be charged with “dereliction of duties” and the South African Human Right Commission to investigate the violation.
MKMVA national executive member Carl Niehaus, who was at the Mariannhill protest, said: “We noted what happened a couple of weeks ago with Black Monday, and we want to say we do not support the killing of any South African.
“But the manner in which that protest was carried out left us with concerns because it was done in a racist manner, and the display of the racist symbol and singing the old national anthem was not acceptable.”
Asked whether he was not concerned that the counterprotest could deepen racial tensions, Niehaus said: “Racial tensions have to be addressed. The position of MKMVA has been clear that we only address these tensions if we address the fundamental economic inequalities in the country.
“The huge gap between the rich and poor cannot be allowed to continue. If we continue we are going to see the intensification of what we saw on Black Monday and what we saw today,” he said.
Afriforum, which was part of the Black Monday protest among other civil rights organisations, also took part in a protest yesterday at the Union Buildings, and handed a memorandum to President Jacob Zuma, demanding the prioritisation of the investigation into farm murders.
Afriforum deputy chief executive Ernst Roets said farm murders were a national crisis and had to be treated as such.
Afriforum did not believe that the lives of farmers and farmworkers were more important than those of other citizens, but that community was being disproportionately targeted and the attacks had an extraordinary impact on the country, Roets said.
“The uniqueness of farm murders justifies a focused counter-strategy,” he said.