South Africa: 43 political assassinations before the elections

Alleged political assassinations in South Africa have claimed at least 43 lives this year, with municipal elections still a month away, a report said Friday.

The country is holding local elections on November 4, with parties hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with the ANC (African National Congress), the largest party since the advent of democracy in 1994, due to collapsing infrastructure, crime and corruption.

The number of suspected politically motivated killings since the beginning of the year already exceeds the annual total recorded since the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) began monitoring in 2015, the organization said.

This comes as "the riskiest months are yet to come, as struggles for political power intensify," argued the independent civil society organization, which is based in Geneva.

According to the GI-TOC database, 45 politically motivated attacks were recorded as of September 30, primarily targeting political party officials, neighborhood councilors, members of civic organizations and movements, as well as traditional leaders.

Of the 43 people killed, 13 belonged to the ANC, followed by eight members of the MK Party (MKP) led by ousted former president Jacob Zuma, according to the report titled "Bullets and Ballots".

Most of the attacks took place in KwaZulu-Natal province, a stronghold of the MKP, followed by Gauteng province, which includes the economic hub of Johannesburg, with 10 attacks.

The local elections will be a test of support for the ANC ahead of the 2029 national elections, after the party that led the fight against apartheid lost its majority in 2024.

AFP