Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said a political killings task team will soon start operating in the province.
There are concerns that Gauteng could see a resurgence of political violence ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
This comes after several MK party recruiters were shot at Dube hostel in Soweto over the weekend while campaigning.
This hostel, along with many others across Johannesburg, is considered an IFP stronghold.
MK Party activists attacked
MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela condemned the incident in a statement on Monday.
“Comrade Virginia received treatment at Bara Hospital and was discharged at around 8pm, while comrade Mabasa remains in critical condition, fighting for his life at the same hospital.
“Tragically, comrade Nzuza, who was shot multiple times, passed away at the scene. The shooting took place as he was returning from taking the injured to the hospital and opening a case at the Meadowlands police station.
“As the MK party, we unequivocally state that there will be no ‘no-go zones’ in Gauteng, or anywhere else in the country. We will not yield to acts of political intolerance and intimidation. The MK party will formally report these acts of violence and intimidation to both the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Independent Electoral Commission,” he said.
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ActionSA activists also attacked
Meanwhile, ActionSA activists who were campaigning in Etwatwa on the East Rand, were intimidated with gunshots by alleged drug dealers who were demanding drugs from them.
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba told The Citizen on Tuesday that the drugs they were demanding had been seized by police during a raid that the party’s mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo had assisted with in the same area.
“I was in a meeting and I received a call that there was a shooting of our activists so I dropped everything and went there. I was told that those activists were traumatised but luckily there were no fatalities,” he said.
Mashaba said he had reported the matter at the Etwatwa police station.
Mashaba said ActionSA is contesting by-elections in that area and will not stop campaigning because of drug dealers.
“We are not going to be intimidated by them, absolutely not,” he said.
Gauteng PKTT
On Tuesday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi reiterated the need for a political killings task team in Gauteng.
In past comments, Lesufi said he was concerned about cases which involve members of his own political party, the ANC, which have gone cold.
“When we go into local government elections next year, we do not want to see a sudden rise of killings of ward councillors,” he said.
Provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said the framework for Gauteng’s PKTT has been drafted and operations will soon begin.
Political analysis
Meanwhile, political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast said political violence is still a problem in most parts of the country.
“One of the hallmarks of democracy is the issue of political competition, meaning that political players have to compete on a normal footing.
“Normally, when these incidents happen, there is a message that the perpetrator is trying to convey, which is that they do not want competition and that those who are posing a threat must back off. This issue of political violence tends to erode democracy,” he said.
He called for political education to ensure that communities and political parties can coexist on the ground.
“After that, they should roll out a programme of integration so that we do not have no go areas,” he said.
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