Johannesburg – African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has condemned a spate of politically motivated killings ahead of South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, describing the violence as a “crime against democracy”.
Speaking at the National Results Centre in Midrand on Saturday, Mbalula said more than 20 political murders had been recorded nationally during the election period, according to the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS).
He warned that political violence could escalate if those responsible were not brought to justice, saying that when such crimes go unpunished, they fuel further violence.
LGE 2026 | ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula calls for a moment of silence to remember all those killed in politically motivated violence, saying such has no place in South Africa. https://t.co/Bz2pZEeW80
— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 7, 2026
“We call on the South African Police Service and the NPA to treat these killings with the utmost seriousness; to pursue not only those who pull the trigger, but those who order and finance these crimes, and to protect the witnesses who are brave enough to speak,” Mbalula said.
The condemnation follows several deadly incidents involving political figures and party supporters. Two ANC members were shot dead in Umgababa, south of Durban, while campaigning in October. In a separate incident, an ANC branch chairperson was shot and killed outside a voting station in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on Thursday.
The scale of the violence is further highlighted by research from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). In an October 2 report titled Targeted killings and South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, the organisation recorded at least 43 deaths in suspected political assassinations between January and September 2026, across 45 political attacks.
MBALULA: We call on the South African Police Service and on the National Prosecuting Authority to treat these killings with the utmost seriousness — to pursue not only those who pull the trigger but those who order and finance these crimes, and to protect the witnesses who are brave enough to speak. Impunity is the oxygen of political violence, and it must be cut off.
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) November 7, 2026
The report noted that the figures had already surpassed the full-year totals recorded during the 2021 municipal elections, when 30 political killings were recorded, and the 2024 national elections, which saw 33.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
