Hit on ANCYL's Magaqa can be traced back to Durban hostel: expert

17 July 2017 - 14:13

By Nathi Olifant

This bombshell was dropped by expert witness Vanessa Burger of the Independent Community Activist for Human Rights and Social Justice advocacy group‚ speaking before the commission in Durban.

The commission is tasked with understanding the causes and possible solutions to ongoing political violence in KZN.

Under oath‚ Burger said that she had it on good authority that large amounts of money were recently collected in order to pay a hitman to carry out killings in Umzimkhulu. The amount was unspecified.

Evidence leader Bheki Manyathi asked Burger if she regarded the attempted murder of Magaqa last Thursday as one of those hits‚ to which Burger simply said‚ "Yes."

"The hitman was paid and he is still in Umzimkhulu. The three that were shot in Umzimkhulu [between April and last week] were killed by the same hitman‚" she said.

Burger said the weapon used was a state-issued R1 firearm.

Former ANCYL secretary-general Magaqa‚ now a councillor‚ and two of his colleagues‚ ward 11 councillor Nonsikelelo Mafa and ward 16 councillor Jabu Mzizi‚ were attacked by unknown gunmen‚ landing them in hospital. They became the fourth‚ fifth and sixth victims of violence in the area in recent months.

ANC regional deputy secretary and Umzimkhulu Municipality speaker Khaya Thobela was the first to be gunned down‚ shot on April 20 while arriving at his home in Mfundweni. He died in hospital three days later.

Next was former Harry Gwala District Municipality councillor and ANC branch leader Khaya Mgcwaba‚ who was shot to death on May 11. Twelve days later‚ on May 23‚ Mduduzi Tshivase‚ a teacher and Harry Gwala Municipality councillor‚ was also gunned down.

A special task team has been set up to investigate the series of murders and attempted murders.

Burger told the commission on Monday that when there is a big cash collection‚ a murder usually follows. She said it was initially suspected that the recent collection was geared towards a fresh hit at Glebelands‚ however she soon learnt that this was paid to a hitman who was now terrorising Umzimkhulu.

Burger was also attempting to draw the commission's attention to the fact that many of the hitmen infesting the hostel were using guns for hire employed to carry out political killings and an assorted other number of hits.

Burger‚ a graphic designer by profession‚ also circulated an illustration of the hostel murders and how they have spread and spilled outside Glebelands. In all likelihood‚ she said that political and other murders on the KZN South Coast and in parts of the Eastern Cape‚ could be traced back to Glebelands hitmen.

She painted a grim picture of a settlement languishing under a dark spell of murders. Glebelands Hostel is in Umlazi‚ south of Durban.

The R15-million Moerane Commission of Inquiry‚ which is investigating the "underlying causes of the murder of politicians in KwaZulu-Natal"‚ was set up by Premier Willies Mchunu in October last year and began its work in March.

- TimesLIVE