In the days leading up to his killing, KwaZulu-Natal’s Mandeni ward 18 councillor Phendukani Mabhida had written a letter to the council alleging corruption, had received a threatening call and was told his days were numbered.
In the letter, which Sowetan has seen, Mabhida asked to be excused from future council meetings due to corruption.
“I realised I am the only councillor against corruption and poor management in the municipality,” he wrote.
“The ANC caucus has become a platform where comrades come to defend their friends without thinking about the reputation of the ANC.”
Mabhida’s killing on February 5, in which his sister was wounded, is among five murders of councillors since the beginning of the year, with three reported in Gauteng and one in the Eastern Cape.
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Africa senior analyst Ladd Serwat has warned of clear and recurring patterns of volatility targeted at ward councillors during election cycles.
“In 2021 we recorded eight murders of ward councillors around the country, but in 2022 that number doubled to 16. This spike seems to coincide with the period when newly elected councillors were taking office and formally assuming their duties,” Serwat said.
In 2021, we recorded eight murders of ward councillors around the country, but in 2022, that number doubled to 16.
— Ladd Serwat, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Africa senior analyst
He noted that while incidents of violence fluctuated in the months leading up to the November 2021 local government elections, the most significant increase occurred in September 2022 when councillors began occupying their positions.
“That timing suggested a direct connection between competition for access to state power and the targeting of local government officials,” he said.
“Ward-level positions carry real decision-making power, particularly when it comes to local budgets, tenders and service delivery, which makes them [councillors] valuable and vulnerable.”
Its data shows that between 2020 and 2025, 86% of ward councillors who were killed died in hits, indicating a strong element of contracted political assassinations. Meanwhile, 9.3% of cases involved mob justice or community attacks, often linked to public anger over poor service delivery or muggings during unrest.
Serwat cautioned that with another election cycle approaching, South Africa could again experience a rise in targeted political killings, particularly as local-level power transitions intensify.
“If the patterns from previous years hold, we can expect a gradual increase in violence in the run-up to the elections.”
Last week, during his testimony at parliament’s ad hoc committee, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said he had asked national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to develop a strategy to curb politically linked killings in Gauteng before the 2026 local government elections.
In a letter dated August 20, attached to his statement, Cachalia wrote: “I am alarmed about the rising incidents of the assassination of councillors and public officials in Gauteng. The premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, has also raised his concerns with me.”
Masemola responded on August 30 with recommendations, confirming the political killings task team (PKTT), which was disbanded by suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, would continue its work.
In his letter, Mabhida accused colleagues of protecting corrupt officials and described a toxic environment where honest debate was seen as betrayal.
His brother Jabulani Mkhize said that days after his brother told them about the letter, he received a call and was told his days were numbered.
“He tried to laugh it off,” Mkhize said.
“He said, ‘How can you say that when my term as councillor is ending soon?’ But the caller replied, ‘I’m not saying your term is ending or your days have reduced. I’m saying your days on Earth are finished’.”
Days later, Mabhida was shot dead in his home in Sundumbili.
“His sister, showing immense bravery, jumped onto the gunman in an attempt to disarm him. The second assailant shot her as well. She survived and is still recovering from her wounds.
“He was shot in front of his nine-year-old child. He had a baby who was only six weeks old,” said Mkhize.
Mabhida’s murder mirrors that of slain ward councillor Thulani Buthelezi, of Naledi, Soweto, who was killed in his home in June.
His friend, who asked not to be named, said Buthelezi knew his life was in danger.
“He was aware that his death was approaching. Thulani spoke his mind and stood for the truth. He would go knocking on doors, looking for answers. When we heard of [his murder], I was not astonished.”
ANC Youth League and Freedom Park community leader Scebiso Masondo said his uncle Zakhele Mathe, a ward councillor in the area, was killed in Mondeor, Johannesburg, in February.
“I saw him that morning because the agreement we had the previous day was that I was going to fetch him for a meeting at Bara.
“When I got to his home, he told me he had an urgent meeting with someone, and he said he would meet me at Bara.”
Their last communication was at about 10am, when Mathe told him he was at the garage. After that his phone went unanswered.
Masondo said he later received a call from an ANC Youth League colleague asking about Mathe’s whereabouts and his car registration number.
“I told her the registration number, and then she hung up. She later called and told me Zakhele was shot dead.”
He said one person has been arrested.
“We know it [the killing] is politically motivated. We want the truth.”
A few months after Mathe was shot dead, Masondo said he was targeted coming home from a meeting in Freedom Park.
“Someone was standing at my door, and I just heard gunshots. I was told at the [hospital] that there were 10 bullets [that hit me],” he said.
Masondo believes he could have been targeted because the shooters think he might have information on what could have led to his uncle’s death.
While no arrests have been made in connection with Buthelezi’s killing, the KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority said Mabhida’s murder case is back in court on Monday.
Gauteng government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga told Sowetan the province was intensifying efforts to combat organised crime, working closely with the police and other law enforcement agencies to implement decisive measures aimed at curbing the killings.
“The escalating level of politically related violence in the province, particularly the wave of murders linked to gang activity and those specifically targeting local councillors and government officials, is a matter of grave concern that demands an immediate and strong response,” Mhlanga said.
“These politically motivated killings represent a direct assault on our democracy and have a detrimental impact on service delivery, as they create an environment of fear and instability that disrupts governance.”
— Additional reporting Koena Mashale
Sowetan
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