As the country’s national security cluster meets on Monday to finalise plans for the deployment of the army and the police in hotspots ahead of the elections, KwaZulu-Natal will be foremost in their minds.
The province’s reputation for instability and violence is a source of concern for leaders across the board. Ten political figures have been murdered in the past few weeks alone.
On Thursday, former ANC MPL Zibuse Mlaba was assassinated. Last week, ANC candidate Siyabonga Mkhize was shot in Durban as was EFF candidate Michael Thulani Shangase, who was killed in Pietermaritzburg.
The province’s Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) and political leaders have appealed for calm ahead of next week’s local government elections. Church leaders have cautioned that conflicts must not be fought through the barrel of a gun, and business leaders are calling for tougher action against the perpetrators to give investors peace of mind.
The IEC says any social instability has the potential to disrupt electoral activities. “It is truly saddening that the disturbing historical picture of our province never seems to abate at the peak point of the electoral cycle. Our condolences go to the families and communities whose loved ones have been snuffed out so senselessly,” said provincial spokesperson Nonhlanhla Hlongwane.
“We always have our ear to the ground and have multipronged early-warning mechanisms to quell perceived and potential conflict in every space we occupy. We work closely with all state security agencies and have a strong partnership with the department of community safety and the SA Police Service. Furthermore, we have conflict mediators in all 11 districts on the ground,” said Hlongwane.
The provincial multiparty political intervention committee has been devolved to district chapters to identify signs of simmering conflict and fight this menace before it spills over, she said.
Clergyman Thulani Ndlanzi said church leaders are concerned for the safety all citizens and their members. “The killings are a huge concern. In 2016, 26 people lost their lives in politically related murders. We cannot have a situation where violence become an influencer of decisions.” His parish, the Berea Congregational Church, will hold a special prayer service next week for peace and calm during the elections.
KwaZulu-Natal political analyst Imraan Buccus cautioned that political violence is not just a threat to its victims. “It drives good people out of politics and is a direct and serious threat to democratic values and practices. It is a matter of huge concern that, aside from some courageous grass roots activists, there has not been serious action against the political violence.”
Referring to the Moerane commission of inquiry, which was established in 2016 to probe political killings in the province, Buccus said: “One of the points often repeated in the testimony heard by the commission was that during the latter years of the war between Inkatha [IFP] and the UDF in the late 1980s and early 1990s the only effective mechanism to address the problem was to bring in high-level, well-funded and dedicated police units from outside the province to investigate political killings.
“However, action is not being taken to achieve this, just as action is not being taken to investigate, arrest and prosecute the people who used the bread riots in July as cover to organise a campaign of sabotage. This was an act of treason, and the fact that there are no consequences for treason is a damning indictment on the state,” said Buccus.
Political parties have also weighed in on the upsurge in political killings. IFP leader Mkhuleko Hlengwa referred to the recent killings as “shocking”.
“Notwithstanding our call for calm, we would also like to appeal to the political parties involved to conduct their own inquiries, to establish whether intraparty tensions might have had any bearing on these tragic events,” said Hlengwa.
“All internal problems must be resolved swiftly — and peacefully — so as to prevent further unnecessary violence and loss of life.”
The EFF said political killings in KZN have been a permanent feature of political life in the province since the 1994 democratic dispensation and nothing has been done to resolve the issue. The threat of the loss of life will therefore have an affect on the voter turnout and voter preferences.
Provincial ANC leader Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the party’s main concern is the failure of the police to stop the killings, including those in ward 54 that happened in broad daylight.
He said the EFF candidate was not killed in any political activity but was instead one of three people gunned down in a taxi industry-related conflict.
“We don’t think this will have a negative affect on voter turnout as we are continuously engaging our members and supporters about the importance of voting on November 1. There is nothing at this stage which can warrant elections not to be free and fair unless something insurmountable happens in a specific ward or region between now and election day.”
Business leaders in the province have called for calm and an environment conducive to attracting investors in the wake of the July riots.
National police minister Bheki Cele has said police expected a “rise in temperature” in the province given its history. “We have started placing more officers in hotspot areas. So here in KZN (the police task force) has been given extra personnel, eThekwini is one of the problematic areas.”
The police have profiled SA’s 23,000 voting stations and deemed 19,000 to be low risk, 3,000 medium risk and 300 high risk. Most of the high-risk stations are in KwaZulu-Natal, with a few in Gauteng, Tshwane, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.