Two ANC members were shot dead and several others wounded when gunmen opened fire on a door-to-door election campaign in Umgababa, south of Durban, yesterday (October 15), less than three weeks before the local government elections, reports the South Coast Sun.

The victims were ANC Umgababa Ward 98 co-ordinator Lungani Makhathini and a female branch activist. Police have opened two counts of murder and three of attempted murder following the attack.

Attackers open fire from bakkie

KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the group was campaigning in Area 24 when a white Isuzu bakkie approached them from behind.

The occupants allegedly opened fire on the group with rifles and pistols. A woman reportedly injured her leg while fleeing the shooting, while two bodyguards who were with the campaigners fled the scene and had not yet been found, police said.

Police have not established a motive but have not ruled out political intolerance. No arrests had been reported in the initial coverage of the incident.

Makhathini also served as chairperson of the school governing body at Mnganiwakhe High School and as traditional headman of Amagcino village under the Umnini Trust Traditional Authority. He was deputy secretary of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Committee of the National Association of School Governing Bodies.

Makhathini had reportedly survived a previous shooting in 2025 and left Umgababa with his family before returning earlier this year.

Community leader survives 2025 shooting

The killings come amid heightened concern over the safety of political campaigners ahead of the local government elections. The attack follows the fatal shooting of four ANC Youth League members in Katlehong earlier this week.

The investigation is ongoing.

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