Three councillors gunned down in Dlamini-Zuma's region

04 June 2017 - 17:27 By Nathi Olifant
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Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has the support of the ANC Women’s League.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has the support of the ANC Women’s League.
Image: SYDNEY SESHIBEDI

One month. Same area. Three councillors gunned down.

This is the situation in presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s Harry Gwala region in southern KwaZulu-Natal which appears to be at war with itself.

Between April 23 and May 23 three ANC members – two councillors and a former councillor – were executed in uMzimkhulu.

As the bodies pile up‚ Dlamini-Zuma is said to be hugely embarrassed by the shenanigans from her region.

So brazen have the killings been that the KwaZulu-Natal ANC top five and the provincial working committee have been jolted into action.

The ANC officials will‚ on Monday‚ descend on the troubled region in a bid to find a solution to the escalating problem.

Regional deputy secretary and uMzimkhulu speaker Khaya Thobela was the first to be gunned down in April.

He was shot on Thursday April 20 while arriving at his home in Mfundweni‚ uMzimkhulu and died in hospital on April 23.

He was followed by former Harry Gwala PR councillor and branch leader Khaya Mgcwaba‚ gunned down on May 11 also in uMzimkhulu.

Twelve days later on May 23 and a month after Thobela’s death‚ Mduduzi Tshivase‚ a teacher and Harry Gwala PR councillor was also gunned down at his eMachunwini home in uMzimkhulu.

As teachers‚ both Thobela and Tshivase were members of the teachers’ union‚ the South African Democratic Teachers Union‚ which presided over their funerals.

“Our going there is really an attempt to find out the root causes of these killings and also to find a solution to put an end to this‚” said provincial ANC deputy secretary Mluleki Ndobe.

Ndobe also hails from the same region and is the mayor of Harry Gwala District Municipality.

He said Dlamini-Zuma was embarrassed that her region was tearing itself apart like this. “She’s hugely embarrassed by this and she’s very worried that it’s happening in her region. It’s embarrassing to all of us. This has always been a peaceful region‚” said Ndobe.

The region is due to hold an elective conference this month.

Ndobe said they will meet with the regional executive committee on Monday morning.

“This will be followed by the ANC structures at the branches‚ civil society‚ alliance partners‚ traditional leaders‚ the clergy and businesspeople‚” he said.

Ndobe said all these structures have expressed concerns at the rate of the killings.

-TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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