Slain ANC eThekwini deputy branch chairperson laid to rest

The latest ANC member to be killed in a spate of political deaths in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is being laid to rest this afternoon.

ANC deputy branch chairperson of Ward 14 in eThekwini, Cassim Phiri, was gunned downed after attending a caucus meeting in Mariannhill, west of Durban, on Tuesday night.

Phiri was shot and killed allegedly by two men who arrived at Mariannhill Primary School following conclusion of the meeting.

He is being buried on Tuesday as per Muslim rites.

According to the regional party, Phiri is the fifth ANC member to be killed in the eThekwini region in recent times, prompting calls for Police Minister Bheki Cele to intervene.

This month, Ward 99 councillor, Mnqobi Victor Molife was gunned down around in Mvutshini near Margate.

The 39-year-old man was with his partner when three armed suspects entered the premises, shot him and fled the scene without taking any items, according to the South African Police Service (Saps).

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Maphumulo municipality councillor, Zakhele Khuzwayo, was also shot multiple times near Nothweni River last week.

Meanwhile, Mpumalanga Ward 4 councillor in eMbalenhle, Simphiwe Sindelo, survived gunmen firing a number of shots at his house on Tuesday night.

Sindelo had arrived home from a meeting, parked his car and made his way into his home when more than 20 shots were fired.

The gang, reportedly made up of at least five suspects, then fled the scene.  

Political killings

Several ANC councillors and ward candidates were killed last year, ahead of the local government elections held in November.

Three women – Ncamisile Shange, Beatrice Nzama and Philisiwe Jili – were gunned down during a drive-by shooting in Inanda, KZN, in September.

In the same month, ANC councillor Tshepo Motaung was shot 20 times while on his way home in Mabopane, Tshwane.

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Motaung’s murder was previously reported to be politically-motivated and linked to the ANC’s councillor candidate-selection disputes.

Another ANC councillor, Siyabonga Mkhize, was shot dead in October during a door-to-door campaign in Cato Crest in Durban.

Two councillors – Ward 43 councillor Andile Andries (45) and his acting branch secretary, Lubabalo Keso (41) – were killed at Kariega in Nelson Mandela Bay in May this year, mere days before the Eastern Cape elective conference.