Political assassinations in post-apartheid South Africa

There have been many political assassinations in post-apartheid South Africa.[1][2] In 2013 it was reported that there had been more than 450 political assassinations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal since the end of apartheid in 1994.[3] In July 2013 the Daily Maverick reported that there had been "59 political murders in the last five years".[4] In August 2016 it was reported that there had been at least twenty political assassinations in the run up to the local government elections on the 3rd of August that year, most of them in KwaZulu-Natal.[5]

Political assassinations have often been ascribed to battles around patronage within the ruling African National Congress.[6][7][8][9][10][11] However, not all assassinations are a result of conflict within the ruling party. The National Freedom Party led by Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, with its base largely in KwaZulu-Natal, claims that 21 of its members have been killed since the party was founded in early 2011.[12] The Inkatha Freedom Party claims that ten of its elected representatives have been murdered.[13] In June 2013 Abahlali baseMjondolo, an autonomous shack dwellers' movement in Durban, claimed that the murder of Nkululeko Gwala, a local leader in the organisation, was a political assassination.[14][4] In May 2016 two ANC councillors were convicted of murder following the assassination of Thuli Ndlovu, also a local leader in Abahlali baseMjondolo .[15] In September 2020 it was reported that "Since 2016, there have been at least 38 assassinations and 14 attempted assassinations in mining localities in KwaZulu-Natal."[16]

According to Raymond Suttner "assassinations have become a regularised way of deciding on leadership and access to wealth within the ANC and its allies".[17] In 2016 the ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe said: "The reality is that selection of candidates for council is always a life-and-death issue."[18] Assassinations is only part of violence that surrounds South African elections. David Bruce published an extensive report on the 2014 election pointing to the subtle and complex ways in which the ANC intimidates its political rivals.[19] In the run up to the 2014 election the Independent Electoral Commission did little to intervene to prevent violence, the abuse of government resources and the use of the state run media (the SABC) to favour the ruling party.[20]

Mark Shaw and Kim Thomas have recorded just over 1,000 individual cases of assassination or attempted assassination.[21]

The high prevalence of political assassinations in South Africa was discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022.[22]

  1. ^ ANC: A party under violent, criminal siege, Paul Trewhela, Mail & Guardian, 4 August 2012
  2. ^ Quintal, Genevieve (29 July 2012). Political Murders – It's About the Dough, SAPA,
  3. ^ A Provincial Concern? Political Killings in South Africa, David Bruce, SA Crime Quarterly 2013
  4. ^ a b KZN: Anatomy of an assassination, Niki Moore, Daily Maverick, 31 July 2013
  5. ^ Local Government Elections 2016', Data Journalism Academy, August 2016
  6. ^ The ANC's provincial criminal enterprises problem, by Sipho Hlongwane, The Daily Maverick, 23 July 2012
  7. ^ Power, money and the ANC: There will be blood, Mandy de Waal, The Daily Maverick, 23 January 2012
  8. ^ Why Are Political Killings Increasing in South Africa?, James Bullock, Think Africa Press, 21 October 2013
  9. ^ Murder takes party infighting to new level, Setumo Stone, Business Day, 20 July 2012
  10. ^ A Culture of Political Assassination, Jane Duncan, SACSIS, 2010
  11. ^ Murder, Lies and Corruption: Mbombela and the Bequeathal of the ANC's 'Family' War, Dale T. McKinely, 9 September 2011
  12. ^ Another NFP member killed, SAPA, IOL, 18 July 2012
  13. ^ Quintal, Genevieve (29 July 2012). Political Murders – It's About the Dough, SAPA
  14. ^ KZN protest leader shot 12 times, Nkululeko Nene, Daily News, 27 June 2013
  15. ^ ANC councillors jailed for activist’s murder, Giordano Stolley, Independent Online, 20 May 2016
  16. ^ eMpembeni mirrors the scourge of mining-related assassinations in KZN, eMpembeni mirrors the scourge of mining-related assassinations in KZN, Daily Maverick, 14 September 2020
  17. ^ Government and tripartite alliance ‘no pitch’ at Marikana memorial, 18 August 2013
  18. ^ Political Assassinations are on the rise, Gareth van Olsen, "Rand Daily Mail", 20 February 2016
  19. ^ "Just singing and dancing? Intimidation and the manipulation of voters and the electoral process in the build-up to the 2014 elections" (PDF). Community Agency for Social Enquiry. April 2014.
  20. ^ Democracy and violence: the threat to South Africa’s elections, Martin Plaut, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, 2 February 2018
  21. ^ Shaw, Mark; Thomas, Kim (2016). "The Commercialization of Assassination: 'Hits' and Contract Killing in South Africa, 2000–2015". African Affairs. doi:10.1093/afraf/adw050.
  22. ^ UN member states call for the protection of SA’s human rights defenders and whistle-blowers, Simphiwe Sidu and Bongani Ngwenya, Daily Maverick, 21 November 2022