SA records 42 suspected political killings ahead of elections
At least 42 people have been killed in suspected political attacks in South Africa since January, according to the Ballots and Bullets report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. The report recorded 36 alleged political attacks between January and September, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 16 incidents, the highest provincial total.
At least 42 people have been killed in suspected political assassinations in South Africa since the beginning of the year.
The figures have been released in a report titled "Ballots and Bullets" by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.
It comes with just over a month to go until the Local Government Elections.
The report compiled by senior adviser, Julian Rademeyer, showed that the deaths were recorded in 36 alleged political attacks between January and September.
Rademeyer said there were nine other non-fatal attacks.
KZN recorded the highest number of incidents, with 16 cases in the nine-month period.
Gauteng followed with 10, while the Eastern Cape, North West and Western Cape each recorded five.
Rademeyer said the attacks targeted political party officials, ward councillors, civic movements and traditional leaders.
“ I think far too many of these incidents, sadly, are linked to jockeying for positions of power within local municipalities or local government. That gives people access to tenders, access to lucrative contracts, and that has been, for quite some time now, a singular driver behind many of the political assassinations we see, particularly at the local government level.
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“There are a couple of others this year. The most prominent case was Sinenhlanhla Jokwe, a DA campaigner who was shot to death in Cape Town during a voter registration weekend. It seems that in that case she was targeted by extortionists,” he said.
The report describes the figures in the Western Cape and North West as particularly notable, as political killings have historically been less common in those provinces.
It says the national figure is already higher than the total recorded in any full year since monitoring began in 2015, including the 2021 election year, when 30 political killings were recorded.
In comparison, it says, nearly half the amount of political killings took place in the same period last year.
The deadliest period so far was June’s voter registration weekend, when five political campaigners were killed in attacks across four provinces.
The report warns that the risk could increase as political competition will intensify ahead of the November local government elections.
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