There was a plan to kill newly elected Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillors after the local government elections, IFP party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Tuesday.
“I am aware of political assassinations that are being planned as we speak. They want to kill our councillors so that there will be by-elections,” said IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
He was addressing IFP supporters during a prayer meeting in Ulundi on Tuesday evening. Buthelezi, who did not divulge more details about the plot, said political assassinations continued to occur.
“The truth of the matter is that political assassinations have continued to occur. Even though they are played down the fact is that we have had a very difficult time from the time we had our general elections in 2009,” said Buthelezi.
He said the low-intensity civil war between the major political parties had claimed over 20 000 lives in the early 1990s, he said.
Although the levels of political intolerance have dropped in KwaZulu-Natal, there have been a number of killings that have been described as politically motivated.
Five people were killed in attacks thought to be politically motivated since the start of campaigning in August last year. The victims were all political leaders.
On Monday, an African National Congress (ANC) candidate was attacked in Durban’s Newlands East, allegedly by a man who was hired to kill him. The ANC was quick to allege that the attack was politically motivated.
KwaZulu-Natal also has the highest number of areas which are described as “hot spots”. Nongoma, Ulundi, Umsinga, Lindelani in KwaDukuza and Durban hostels are among them, national police Commissioner Bheki Cele said on Tuesday.
The province also has the highest number of people who have been arrested for election-related cases which include assault, public violence and the removing of posters.
Scores of police officers were deployed in some of these areas well before the elections and they have confiscated many firearms in areas such as Ulundi and Nongoma.
Cele and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa visited Ulundi on Tuesday to assess the situation ahead of the elections. — Sapa