Political killings still a problem in KZN: Police Minister

 

Police Minister, Bheki Cele, has revealed that the ANC, IFP, and the National Freedom Party (NFP) are the mostly affected parties by political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.

Cele was speaking at a briefing by the Inter-Ministerial Committee that’s looking into political killings in the province.

The briefing was also aimed at providing updates on cases being investigated by the task team.

In 2016, government set up the Moerane Commission to probe the underlying causes of political violence in KZN.

The Minister says 31 of the 52 killed councillors came from the governing ANC.

“While 14 were from the IFP, four from the NFP, two from the EFF and one from ACDP.”

He also revealed that the task team has recorded over 300 arrests so far.

To date, 19 councillors have been murdered in the province since September last year.

According to Minister Cele, 348 suspects have been charged in connection with 233 cases, while 60 individuals have been convicted.

“These figures underscore the severity of the issue and the ongoing efforts to bring perpetrators to justice,” the Minister said.

 

He revealed that since July 2018, the task team has been investigating 321 criminal dockets related to political violence in the province.

He says 103 officials, working within municipalities as political office bearers and officials in political offices, were killed.

Minister Cele also expressed concern over the ever-rising incidents of violence and political intolerance in KwaZulu-Natal, emphasising that law enforcement agencies need to address this issue urgently.

[FACTS] The KZN Task team investigating #politicalKillings in KZN has made significant progress in arresting hitmen and those who order the hits. Read all about it here 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/oSh0reXb5t

— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) September 6, 2023

#PoliceMinistry [HAPPENING NOW] The Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele is currently briefing the media on the latest successes of the task team, tasked with investigating politically related violence in KwaZulu-Natal Province. #PoliticalKillings ME pic.twitter.com/3F3w0RwNI2

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) September 6, 2023