By Sfundo Parakozov and Lehlohonolo Lehana.
An opposition party organiser was killed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province late on Monday, heightening fears of political violence before Wednesday’s local government elections.
Senior police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said on Tuesday that a murder case had been opened after Lastborn Shazi, whom the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party identified, was shot dead at his home while on a Zoom call coordinating the party’s election campaign.
Netshiunda said police were investigating the motive.
The MK Party described Shazi’s murder as a devastating blow to the party’s regional elections machinery.
“The party calls on the killings task team to urgently investigate this shooting, establish the circumstances surrounding his death and ensure that the shooter, together with anyone found to have been involved in planning or facilitating this killing, is identified and brought to justice. We demand a thorough impartial and expedited investigation,” MK Party KZN spokesperson Mkhuseli Mlengane said.
He said the province had a painful history of political killings.
“The continued loss of lives through violence is a serious concern that demands decisive action from law enforcement authorities. No individual should lose their lives because of their political involvement or organisational responsibilities,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal has recorded several incidents of political killing leading up to the municipal elections.
Over the weekend, Ntombi Mkhize, an ActionSA activist and councillor candidate under Maphumulo local municipality, was stabbed and strangled.
Last month, ANC councillor Lungani Makhathini, together with fellow comrades, were shot dead while on a campaign trail in uMgababa, on the South Coast of Durban. 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.
SAPS said at the weekend that 20 murders involving political representatives, party members and supporters had been recorded during the municipal election period.
Recent polls project the MK Party to emerge as the largest party in the hotly contested eThekwini metropolitan area – the economic hub of KwaZulu-Natal province – and displace the governing African National Congress (ANC) there.
Former President Jacob Zuma leads the MK Party after a bitter split with the ANC in 2023. The party’s rise helped erode the ANC’s support in the 2024 national election.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week ordered the deployment of 510 soldiers to KwaZulu-Natal to support police, who have identified more than 165 polling stations in the province as high-risk.