The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal is in shock after three party leaders were gunned down in the province in just 48 hours.
On Wednesday, after leaving a meeting in Mbali township‚ Pietermaritzburg‚ branch chairman Nathi Hlongwa was shot and killed.
The day before‚ Simo Mncwabe – who hastily resigned as Mooi Mpofana municipality chief financial officer on Monday – was shot and killed while talking his children to school in Edendale‚ also in Pietermaritzburg.
A third ANC member was murdered at Inchanga‚ halfway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
“We see this as an attempt to instill fear so that we will be paralysed by such senseless killings and stay away from campaigning‚” said ANC provincial spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli yesterday.
He would not speculate on the reasons for the murders – but refused to rule out that it was internal politics.