Decisive action to be taken to stop political killings in KZN: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned political killings in KwaZulu-Natal‚ saying the country can't allow political leaders to be slaughtered.

"We are going to make moves to stop these killings. We are resolved to do it because we can't allow leaders of various organisations ... to go on being slaughtered as though they were cattle‚" said Ramaphosa.

He was speaking to the media shortly after his behind-closed-doors address at the South African Communist Party central executive committee meeting in Johannesburg.

Ramaphosa said the state was going to take serious and decisive action to stop the killings.

He said at a government level the state would speed up the investigations and arrest perpetrators of the killings.

"We cannot continue to be living in a country where people just take potshots at other people who hold a different view and kill them‚" said Ramaphosa.

He said he had directed ministers in the criminal justice cluster to come up with reports on what was happening with investigations into the killings.

The mayor of Endumeni Municipality was arrested last month for allegedly plotting to kill the council speaker in that municipality.