Fears of a resurgence in political killings have gripped KwaZulu-Natal after two ANC members were shot dead while campaigning in Umgababa, south of Durban, ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
The victims were Lungani Makhathini, an ANC local councillor and ward 98 coordinator, and 28-year-old Nokuthula Mavundla, an ANC branch activist.
The pair were among three ANC volunteers conducting a door-to-door campaign in the area, accompanied by two bodyguards, when they were allegedly ambushed by gunmen travelling in a white Isuzu bakkie.
The occupants of the vehicle reportedly opened fire on the group with rifles and pistols without saying a word. Makhathini and Mavundla died at the scene, while another female ANC member was injured and taken to hospital. The two bodyguards fled the attack.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal condemned the killings as an unprovoked act of violence.
“The ANC vehemently condemns this ruthless, cold-blooded act in the strongest possible terms. To ambush unarmed men and women who were merely exercising their constitutional rights is an act of pure wickedness.
“The shooting of women and unarmed community leadership demonstrates a complete absence of human decency. Violence and intimidation have no place in our political landscape and the ANC will not be deterred or silenced by ruthless criminals,” the party said.
The Mail & Guardian understands that Makhathini had previously survived an assassination attempt. In 2025, he was reportedly ambushed by gunmen while travelling with his family.
In February this year, another attack left Makhathini seriously wounded and claimed the life of ANC councillor and branch convenor Sipho Smiso Dlamini.
Beyond his political duties, Makhathini was the school governing body chairperson at Mnganiwakhe High School and an induna, or headman, under the Umnini Trust traditional authority.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the motive for the latest attack was not yet known, but political intolerance could not be ruled out.
“Police in KwaZulu-Natal have opened two counts of murder and three of attempted murder following an incident in which two people, a man and a woman, were allegedly shot and killed at Area 24 in Umgababa on Thursday afternoon, 15 October 2026.
“Reports indicate that two females and one male from a political party and their two bodyguards were on a door-to-door campaign when a white Isuzu bakkie approached them from behind.
The occupants of the bakkie reportedly opened fire on the five using rifles and pistols. Two people, a man and a woman, were declared dead at the scene and one woman reportedly injured her leg when she was fleeing from the assassins. The two bodyguards fled the scene and are yet to be found,” Netshiunda said.
The Umgababa killings follow the death of Nelisile Cindi, an uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party activist who was ambushed and killed at her rural village of Phepheni in Highflats last week.
According to reports, an unidentified man knocked on Cindi’s door. When she opened it, he allegedly shot her dead.
Last week, Samora Ndlovu, a former ANC mayor of Richmond and former secretary-general of the party’s Moses Mabhida region, survived an assassination attempt after being shot in an ambush on the R56 near Richmond.
Last month, Lucky Sokhela, an IFP councillor candidate in the uMshwathi local municipality, was shot dead shortly after arriving home. He had allegedly been followed by unknown assailants travelling in a Volkswagen vehicle.
In August, another IFP councillor candidate was ambushed by gunmen at his home in Ophindweni, under the uMlalazi local municipality. He was shot several times in front of his family, including his children.
That same month, ANC councillor Sibusiso Cedric Khwela was shot dead during a meeting with community members in Klaarwater, within the eThekwini metro. The attacker allegedly approached Khwela pretending to need assistance before opening fire.
KwaZulu-Natal has experienced a long-running spate of political killings. The violence prompted the establishment of the Moerane Commission to investigate the underlying causes of the assassinations. A political killings task team was also established to pursue arrests and investigate those suspected of masterminding the killings.