NFP – praag.org

Following on our story, Political killings in South Africa are about money, here is a list of those killed, together with dates:

– June 27, 2007

Govan Mbeki municipality deputy mayor Thandi Mtsweni was killed in Secunda, Mpumalanga for allegedly investigating tender irregularities.

She was shot dead by two gunmen when she arrived home with her husband and 14-year-old son.

The municipality’s mayor Sipho Nkosi was arrested for allegedly hiring hitmen to kill her.

– January 4, 2009

Mbombela municipality speaker Jimmy Mohlala, who blew the whistle on alleged corruption in a 2010 construction project was shot dead in his Nelspruit house.

Mohlala had blown the whistle on Mbombela municipal manager Jacob Dladla who was accused of manipulating 2010 construction contracts.

Mohlala was also investigating a fraud case involving a company belonging to Bobby Motaung, Kaizer Chiefs football club chairman, which was responsible for the construction of the Mbombela Stadium.

– January 22, 2009

Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi, the grandson of a famous Zulu King and a strong ally of ANC president Jacob Zuma, was shot dead in Durban’s Umlazi township.

Zondi was travelling along Stimela Avenue when his car was sprayed with bullets.

– January 22, 2009

The chairman of the ANC Youth League in Umgababa on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, Sthembiso Cele, was shot.

He was shot through the window of his house. He was taken to hospital but died the next day.

– January 31, 2009

ANC leader Bongani Ngcobo was shot in Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Ngcobo was allegedly shot by an Inkatha Freedom Party councillor in full view of his colleagues at the ANC offices in that area.

– March 5, 2009

ANC member Jabulani Khumalo was shot dead in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

He was shot outside the gate of St Benedictine Hospital where he worked.

IFP councillor Hezekiah ‘Fish’ Ngwenya was arrested for Khumalo’s murder.

– March 14, 2009

North West municipal councillor Moss Phakoe was shot dead outside his home in Rustenburg.

This was after handing over a dossier detailing corruption in the municipality to high-ranking ANC officials, including secretary general Gwede Mantashe and Zuma.

Former Rustenburg mayor Matthews Wolmarans and his bodyguard were arrested and jailed for Phakoe’s murder.

– January 8, 2010

Sammy Mpatlanyane, the spokesman for the Mpumalanga department of culture, sport and recreation was gunned down in his house in Nelspruit.

His murder was blamed on the same people who killed Mohlala.

– October 8, 2010

Controversial Mpumalanga politician James Nkambule was found dead. He collapsed and died at his home in Mjindini.

It was first reported that Nkambule, a Congress of the People member at the time, had been ill and died as a result. However, It had later been reported that a confidential autopsy report showed he had been poisoned.

He was allegedly connected to the alleged existence of a hit list in the province.

– January 5, 2011

Johan Ndlovu, chief whip of Ehlanzeni District was shot, a few kilometres from his home in Thulamahashe, in the Mhala district. Ndlovu’s family discovered his body under a bush in Thulamahashe, the day after he disappeared.

In October that same year Life Khoza, 22, was jailed for 35 years for killing Ndlovu.

– March 1, 2011

ANC KwaZulu-Natal councillor Wiseman Mshibe was shot dead in his driveway in Montclair, Durban.

Although wounded five times, he managed to drive to the KFC in Montclair for help. Someone took him to St Augustine’s Hospital, but he later died.

– July 11, 2011

ANC eThekwini regional secretary Sbu Sibiya was shot dead at his home in Inanda, Durban.

It was believed that his killing was part of a pattern of the assassination of political leaders in the KwaZulu-Natal.

– August 7, 2011

Senior National Freedom Party member and traditional headman Thintabantu Mthembu was shot in KwaNgenetsheni near Vryheid in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

– August 7, 2011

NFP leader in the eThekwini Municipality Gundu Makhanya was shot and killed just outside his home in Chatsworth outside Durban.

– 18 September, 2011

NFP member Sipho Mtshali was gunned down on his way home from a meeting at the Vosloorus hostel in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.

– Since the NFP’s formation in 2011, 15 members had been killed in separate incidents by September.

– May 1, 2012

Bongani Shelembe, chairman of the Msinga branch, and youth secretary Lungisile Zuma were shot dead when they were driving back from the party’s constituency meeting in Msinga, northern KwaZulu-Natal.

– June 30, 2012

ANC Hibiscus Coast councillor Wandile Mkhize was killed in a drive-by shooting in Manaba, Margate, a few days after the party’s national policy conference.

The motive for the attack was not known.

– July 21, 2012

NFP member, Thamsanqa Mnyango, was shot dead.

Mnyango’s murder brought to 22 the number of NFP members killed since the formation of the party. – SAPA

Political killings in South Africa are not about political dominance but about getting to the trough first. For a list of those murdered, see Names and dates of recent South African political killings

“Some of these guys literally come out of severe poverty and if they get kicked out they will be back there.” said deputy CEO of the SA Institute of Race Relations Frans Cronje.

“The stakes are high… it’s about money.”

The number of politicians murdered the past five years has escalated, especially between 2010 and 2012.

KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga seem to be the worst affected — with 41 and five killed respectively.

Around the country, at least 46 officials from various political parties have been gunned down around the country.

Cronje said: “Yes South Africa is a democracy… but I can’t think of another country that has this problem.

“We [the institute] have been hard pressed to find a single person killed over an idea. It all depends on tenders and corruption.”

He said the issue had been swept under the carpet for far too long and was something that would become very controversial in the next five years.

Historically, KwaZulu-Natal has been a test-bed since the late 80s, and to this day it is still seen as a political killing ground.

ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Sihle Zikalala said the party had quite a few officials killed in the last two years, but was difficult to pinpoint motives.

“We have called for serious interventions to crack all these cases. It’s destabilising the party.”

Zikalala said the ANC did not want to accuse another political party, especially not before a full investigation was conducted.

IFP MP Albert Mncwango said political tension in KwaZulu-Natal was because of the IFP breakaway group the National Freedom Party.

Mncwango said quite a number of councillors in his party had been killed the past five years.

“A rough figure, which is subject to verification, is around 10. We believe it was always politically motivated,” he said.

“They took place especially around the Natal Midlands and these murders escalated when there were internal ructions which gave rise to the NFP.”

Former IFP chairwoman Zanele Magwaza-Msibi and her backers launched the new opposition to the IFP in January 2011.

The NFP has said 22 of its members have been murdered since its launch. Many of these murders had been blamed on the IFP.

Mncwango said this was unfortunate.

“In all their murders, that they say are politically motivated, I can’t think of any IFP member who has been apprehended.”

NFP general secretary Nhlanhla Khubisa said the party had never blamed other political parties for the spate of murders.

“We say its politically motivated because it started immediately when the party was formed and of course in some cases there was some kind of political intolerance.”

Khubisa did however say that it was not NFP members killing other NFP members.

“We a threat to somebody, somewhere.”

So is political intolerance in South Africa too high?

According to Zikalala it is.

“It is a problem and the problem of political assassinations is a serious one,” he said.

Mncwango said there was a new brand of political intolerance in the country.

It was no longer about parties defending their political strongholds.

“We have a new kind of political intolerance which has to do with tenderpreneurship,” he said.

“This is becoming a huge influence in politics and a source of internal ructions in parties.”

Because the IFP was not running government it did not hand out tenders and so it had minimal infighting, said Mncwango.

Zikalala said the problem surrounding tenders could not be ruled out but that would form part of the ANC’s investigation into the reason for political murders.

Khubisa said there needed to be a change of mind set amongst members of political parties across the political landscape.

“At some point some kind of political education is needed across all parties,” he said.

Five politicians have also been murdered in Mpumalanga since 2007.

There have been allegations of a hit list circulating in the province which had the names of provincial politicians on it.

The list apparently targeted people who stood in the way of access to 2010 Soccer World Cup tenders.

It was said to be compiled, funded and executed by ANC members.

Two people, Jimmy Mohlala and Sammy Mpatlanyane, whose names were on the alleged hit list, had been murdered in 2009 and 2010.

Cronje concluded that ANC policy was killing off parts of the party.

“Look at the ANC… money has brought it to where it is.”

Material gain, said Cronje, went hand in hand with politics.

This was especially true in a country such as South Africa where the previously poor were now in power.

“The fight for tenders is desperate,” Cronje said. – SAPA

For a list of those murdered, see Names and dates of recent South African political killings