'Killing for a tender': KZN mayor arrested over murder plot

A KwaZulu-Natal mayor and two of his alleged accomplices were arrested in a predawn raid by the Hawks on Thursday.

The three‚ who are in their 30s‚ were expected to appear in the Estcourt Magistrate's Court shortly.

Specialised teams intercepted information of a plot to allegedly assassinate the municipal speaker‚ said Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo.

"The three suspects - the mayor‚ a councillor and an [alleged] hit man - allegedly planned an assassination plot against the municipal Speaker‚ who is [thought] to be an obstacle in the awarding of a tender. It is understood the Speaker allegedly suspected undue influence and possible corruption in the process.

Mhlongo said the three would be charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

The arrest follows the visit of a high-level delegation made up of top officials including police minister Bheki Cele‚ state security minister Dipuo Lesatsi-Duba‚ defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula‚ justice minister Michael Masutha‚ NPA head Shaun Abrahams and national police commissioner General Kehla Sithole‚ who visited the province on Monday in a bid to solve KZN's rampant political slayings.

The delegation was in the province following a visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ who made the investigation into political killings an urgent priority in the wake of the murders of two councillors in one week.