By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Limpopo PEC member Nkateko Mbhoma was fatally shot on Tuesday morning in Leeudoringstad while heading to Kimberley, Northern Cape for a ANCYL National General Council (NGC) gathering.
Fullview understands Mbhoma was shot and killed on his way to Kimberley.
North West MEC of Community Safety Wessels Morweng said, the preliminary investigations indicate that Mbhoma was shot by security guards looking after Transnet infrastructure.
Morweng told Fullview that the security guards fled the scene and police has since arrested two of them, and more arrests are expected.
ANCYL Spokesperson Zama Khanyase said: “The ANCYL condemns in the strongest terms the scourge of violent crime which continues to claim the lives of innocent South Africans.
As the youth league, we remain resolute in our call for safer communities, decisive action against crime, and the protection of young leaders who continue to serve the people of South Africa.”
Khanyase said: “This senseless act of violence has robbed the movement of a committed young leader who dedicated their life to the struggle for youth emancipation and the advancement of our people.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, comrades, and the broader Limpopo province structures of the Youth League. We pray for strength and comfort during this painful period.”
South Africa has a high number of politically motivated killings, which led to establishment of political killings tasks teams in various provinces.
The greatest number of political assassinations was during the 2019 national elections when 42 incidents were recorded. In the national election years of 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019, violence flared up in the wake of the vote, with a spike in killings, according to the Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).
Researchers said political assassinations could be understood as part of “a system of collaborative criminal governance” involving local politicians and government administrators colluding with criminals to eliminate rivals.
ANC members have been the most targeted victims of political assassinations, the researchers noted.
But, they noted, this has changed since about 2022, with members of other political parties being assassinated, “indicating a mixture of both intra and inter-party political contestation”.