The killing of a National Freedom Party (NFP) candidate at Nongoma has sent the party’s candidates in KwaZulu-Natal into hiding in fear for their lives, raising the spectre of a repeat of the wave of candidate murders that marred the 2016 local government elections in the province.
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The NFP was unable to contest the 2016 municipal polls in the area and the rest of KwaZulu-Natal, with the exception of Nquthu, because it missed the deadline for candidate registration.
A body presumed to be that of Dumisani Qwabe, the NFP candidate for ward 17 in Nongoma, was discovered in a burned-out car in the early hours of Tuesday morning by local residents who notified police and Qwabe’s family.
Qwabe’s family has identified the vehicle as belonging to him and the police are carrying out forensic tests to ascertain if the body is indeed that of the NFP councillor-elect.
According to the NFP leadership, Qwabe appeared to have been shot and then burned inside the car.
The discovery of the body follows the killings of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) candidate Thulani Shangase in Pietermaritzburg, and the ANC’s candidate for eThewkini’s ward 101, Siyabonga Mkhize, two weeks ago.
In August, three women were shot and killed in a drive-by shooting at an ANC candidate selection meeting in Inanda. Last weekend, ANC KwaZulu-Natal deputy chairperson Inkosi Zibuse Mlaba was fatally shot in KwaXimba in the west of the city.
NFP secretary general Canaan Mdletshe said the party is “shocked” and “horrified” by the killing of Qwabe.
Mdletshe said that the NFP’s Nongoma councillors had gone into hiding after the killing as they were afraid they might be next.
“Our members and our candidates at Nongoma are scared. They called to say they are going into hiding until election day because they are scared they will be attacked or killed,” Mdletshe said. “These are not conditions conducive for free and fair elections.”
Mdletshe said the NFP “felt let down” by the security forces as the killing of Qwabe had taken place hours after the security cluster publicly stated that it would take the necessary measures to ensure a free and fair election.
“We were not expecting this, hours after the security cluster announced their plans that they said were going to keep us safe during the elections and ensure that they are free and fair,”’ Mdletshe said.
“We are, however, hopeful that the security forces will apprehend the killers and bring them to justice,” he said.
Mdletshe said despite the shock of Qwabe’s murder and the ongoing security concerns, the NFP remained determined to contest the elections and take control of Nongoma and other Zululand towns, currently run by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
“As painful as this is, it is not going to stop us. There are clearly people who are intimidated by the idea of the NFP contesting this election,” Mdletshe said.
The ANC has condemned the killing, with KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela calling on the police to arrest the murderers.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said because of the extensive burns the body sustained, it has been sent for forensic analysis to confirm its identity.
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