/ 21 July 2017

ANC: Not all KZN killings are political

Assassins central: The Glebelands hostel reportedly houses paid killers.
Assassins central: The Glebelands hostel reportedly houses paid killers.

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 KwaZulu-Natal. 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 violence-ridden 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.


‘Dysfunctional’  Ipid slams researcher activist

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has contested claims by researcher and rights activist Vanessa Burger that its KwaZulu-Natal office is dysfunctional and that it had failed to investigate allegations of police misconduct and brutality at Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi.

She was giving evidence at the Moerane inquiry into the under-lying causes of political killings in the province.

Burger testified that the hostel is home to hitmen hired to conduct political assassinations, and charged that Ipid had failed to prosecute any of the officers accused of torturing residents.

She said that 89 killings since March 2014 can be traced back to hitmen based at the hostel and that a hitman based there had been behind the recent killings in Umzimkhulu.

Violence monitor Mary de Haas said most killings in the province are linked to factions and power struggles in the ANC.

Among those to give testimony this week were Glebelands residents, witnesses to political killings, academics, political analysts, a traditional leader and S’bu Zikode, leader of the shack-dwellers’ movement Abahlali baseMjondolo.

Ipid released a statement refuting Burger’s allegations. “It would be helpful if Burger would actually substantiate her allegations instead of just making unfounded statements against those who are working to resolve the problems at Glebelands.”

Burger responded that Ipid was skirting the real issue. “As you no doubt must be aware, the allegations you have levelled against me are so easily discredited that your statement can only be construed as an attempt to deflect attention from your institution’s spectacular and consistent failure to uphold its constitutional mandate and fulfil its legislated functions — that is, its overwhelming dysfunction,” she said.