Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has raised alarm over the growing number of political murders in the province, warning that the violence is deliberate and deeply concerning.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lesufi revealed that he had met with Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to address the surge in killings of political figures, councillors, and government officials.
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“In the last three months, the political party which I represent, the African National Congress (ANC), observed and noted a number of political killings in our province,” Lesufi said.
“We have lost endless numbers of councillors, government officials, and many other staff members either employed by local government agencies or arms of the state. It is the observation of the ANC that these killings are not innocent.”
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Panyaza Lesufi: New Political Killings Task Team to Be Established
To combat the escalating violence, Lesufi confirmed that Gauteng will soon launch a specialised political killings task team. The unit, expected to be operational within four weeks, will investigate politically motivated and high-profile cases.
“This specialised unit set to be launched in the next four weeks will be tasked with investigating high-profile and politically sensitive cases within the province,” he said.
Lesufi urged government employees and community members to assist law enforcement with information:
“We want to urge our structures, our people, and all those who might have information about political and administrative killings in our province… to make use of the establishment of this unit so that we can resolve these matters once and for all.”
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Broader Fight Against Violence and Political Intolerance
The premier stressed that the initiative is part of a broader strategy to restore peace, combat political intolerance, and even address taxi-related violence in the province.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in bolstering the fight against political violence,” Lesufi said. “We want to argue that within this political task team, issues related to taxi violence and the leadership of the taxi industry that have been killed in our province should not be excluded.”
Lesufi thanked Police Minister Cachalia for acting swiftly and reiterated that Gauteng is against the use of violence to settle political disputes.
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This comes as KwaZulu-Natal intensifies efforts against political killings. National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola confirmed that 121 dockets linked to political murders and attempted assassinations will be handed back to KZN police for further investigation.
The commission that has been set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate political killings following KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegation is yet to begin its work officially.
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