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Ndlovu’s government will work with the national government to call for an increase in police visibility and the strengthening of crime intelligence.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Newly elected Mpumalanga premier, Mandla Ndlovu, has given a hint that his administration will see to it that unresolved political killings get the attention of the police.

In his speech after inauguration on Tuesday, Ndlovu said that directed a few questions to Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Jackie Macie which apparently directed him to act. 

“MEC Macie, there are few questions I always ask myself: Who killed Councillors Muzi Manyathi, Thabo Ngwenya and Lot Bazooka? Who abducted the municipal manager of Nkangala District Municipality Maggie Skosana? Who broke into the house of Health MEC Sasekani (Manzini)? Who hijacked Human Settlements, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC (Speedy) Mashilo,” he said.

Muzi Manyathi (41), a councillor in Mkhondo Local Municipality in Piet Retief, was shot dead on November 4 2022 by unknown assailants at a petrol station after purchasing items from the kiosk. The motive for Manyathi’s killing is still unknown, speculation is rife that it was politically motivated.

Manyathi was considered for the position of mayor after the 2021 local government elections but he did not meet some of the criteria set by the ANC national executive committee.

At the time of his death, the ANC was divided between two factions – Focus and Ngci. Focus supported Ndlovu to be elected Mpumalanga ANC chairperson while Ngci campaigned for former premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane.

Speculation is rife that he might have suffered due to these divisions as the two factions were pulling in different direction about appointment of mayoral candidates, and the provincial conference was pending to elect the provincial leadership.

 Manyathi had posted a premonitory message on Facebook about being hunted down, and he referred to an incident when he had narrowly missed an assailant’s bullet. 

Thabo Ngwenya (35), a councillor in the Nkomazi Local Municipality in Malalane was shot dead in April this year at Mangweni.

According to police, the killers took cellphones, a Toyota GD6 bakkie – charcoal in colour and fled the scene.

Bushbuckridge ward councillor, Lot Bazooka Nkuna (55),  was fatal shot in Calcutta, near Hazyview, in September last year. Nkuna was sitting in a VW Polo when he and two other people he was with were ambushed by a gunman. David Matsane (52) was found dead next to the vehicle. A third person sustained gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital.

Skosana and her driver were at the entrance to the Nkangala District offices in Middelburg on when a white sedan pulled up alongside her car on October 2 2022. The occupants were wearing masks with police branding.

She was driven to Diepsloot where they were kept for days. The kidnappers withdrew money from Skosana’s account. They were dumped in a bush and the female driver walked to the nearby road to seek help.

Mashilo was hijacked in November 2021. Mashilo was driving his Toyota Hilux bakkie on the R568 between Ekangala and KwaMhlanga at around 12pm when he was suddenly overtaken by a BMW sedan.

Three men pointed guns at him and forced him to pull over. They took R25 000, groceries and a hunting rifle.

The details around the burglary in Manzini’s house were never made public.

Ndlovu said that his government would work with the national government to call for an increase in police visibility and the strengthening of crime intelligence.

The cases Ndlovu mentioned are the latest. A string of other political killings before these ones remain unresolved and have become cold. They include:

·       The killing of former City of Mbombela speaker Jimmy Mohlala,  at his house in KaNyamazane on January 5 2019. Mohlala was about to lay charges of corruption concerning the R1.2 billion Mbombela World Cup stadium when he was assassinated.

·        In 2010, former Mpumalanga department of culture, sport and recreation spokesperson Sammy Mpatlanyana was also shot dead at his house in Stonehenge. Mpatlanyana had refused to sign documents authorising the payment of a service provider and his signature was allegedly forged while he was in Germany.

·       In 2005, former Govan Mbeki Local Municipality (Secunda) chief financial officer Joshua Ntshuhle – who had been a witness in a corruption case – went missing. His car was later found in Malawi, where his body was believed to have been thrown into a river, but this was never conclusively proven. 

Ndlovu is the first Mpumalanga premier to show commitment in dealing with the killings. His predecessors did not put such a sharp focus despite complaints.