Killings of local politicians raise worries of KZN-style violence

Two political figures were shot dead in separate incidents in South Africa on 20 June 2026 during a national voter registration weekend ahead of November local elections.

In Gqeberha’s Zwide township, Nelson Mandela Bay, ANC ward councillor Sicelo Mleve, aged 45, was killed inside his office during a meeting attended by about ten people. Gunmen entered, held those present at gunpoint, seized mobile phones and shot Mleve multiple times after naming him as the target.

In Dunoon, Cape Town, Democratic Alliance ward by-election candidate and activist Sinovuyo Dyokwe, aged 48, was shot dead while returning home after assisting with voter registration. She had previously received extortion threats.

Police in both provinces launched manhunts, and the IEC has engaged law enforcement on enhanced protections during the registration period. The incidents were condemned by all major political parties, and the DA have offered a R50,000 reward for information leading to convictions in Dyokwe’s case. Calls have been made for improved security at ward offices and renewed consideration of a dedicated political killings task team by the South African Police Service.

Targeted assassinations of local officials have risen in South Africa over the past decade. Research by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime recorded a 108% increase in such killings between roughly 2013 and 2023, with 488 politically motivated assassinations documented from 2000 to 2023. In 2023 alone there were 31 political assassinations out of 131 targeted killings.

The trend has accelerated in election periods and is frequently linked to competition over municipal tenders, positions and resources, particularly within the ANC, as well as criminal networks exerting influence over local governance. KwaZulu-Natal has historically recorded the highest numbers, followed by the Eastern Cape.Homicide rates in the affected areas exceed national averages.

South Africa’s overall murder rate stood at approximately 45 per 100,000 people in recent years. Nelson Mandela Bay metro has recorded rates between 78 and over 100 per 100,000 in various reports, with several precincts ranking among the country’s highest for murders. The Eastern Cape province consistently shows the highest provincial rate. In Cape Town, the municipal rate has been around 68 per 100,000, with Western Cape townships and informal settlements, including areas near Dunoon, experiencing elevated levels driven by gang activity and extortion.

While ANC internal competition has often been deadly, murders of DA councillors and candidates have been much less common. If the Dunoon killing turns out to have political motives, the nature thereof may well shift expectations of local politics in the Cape, where such behaviour has in the past been relatively uncommon.