More than 10 people have been killed over the past three months in political violence in the Inkatha Freedom Party-controlled tribal area near Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, according to the African National Congress.
Bheki Cele, the ANC’s safety and security spokesperson, said the IFP was using traditional leaders as ”party machinery”. The affected areas are Mabuyane and Mpembeni under the jurisdiction of chief Dube, and Matshana under chief Zungu. Both traditional leaders are affiliated to the IFP.
Tensions between the two parties are bound to rise as they hit the campaign trail ahead of the election next year. The last election in 1999 ended closely, with the IFP scoring 42% of the vote and the ANC 39%.
Musa Khaba, a spokesperson for the police in the area, confirmed that more than 10 murder dockets had been opened in the past three months, and that 40 people had been arrested in connection with the killings. But he denied the killings were political.
”Because the two amakhosi are perceived to be IFP, people are calling the criminal acts political,” Khaba said.
Gwala confirmed he had received reports of several killings in the area, including an attempt on chief Dube’s life in the last week of October. ”But we have been told the attacks were not political,” he said.
He blamed the rising crime rate on illegal firearms.
Cele insisted the instability was politically inspired. He said ANC structures were taking up the matter and would meet Safety and Security MEC Nyanga Ngubane.
Cele says political instability in the area stems from the murder of the traditional leader in charge of Mastshana several years ago. His wife, Sibongile Zungu, a descendant of the ANC leader John Dube, had inherited the title.
”She was perceived as being ANC and had to flee from the area, after several death threats, to a safe house I provided for her in Durban three years ago,” Cele said.
Zungu now lives in Johannesburg.
The current chief is her husband’s relative, but he owes his allegiance to the IFP.
Gwala says crime has been a problem in northern KwaZulu-Natal for several years. He said the widow of the previous chief in Mpembeni was assassinated in 2001. In recent days, he had received reports of an attack on an IFP councillor, Sicefe Gumede, in the area. Pointing to the killing of MEC for Social Welfare Gideon Zulu’s son near Ulundi this week, Gwala said that a bank had been robbed in the area two days before the attack.