ANC calls for arrests after two campaign volunteers killed in shooting

The ANC has called for arrests after two volunteers were killed and another critically injured in a shooting during a door-to-door campaign in Umgababa, south of Durban.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for a shooting that killed two party volunteers during a door-to-door campaign in Umgababa, south of Durban, amid continued concern over political killings ahead of the November 4 local government elections.

Police have opened two counts of murder and three of attempted murder following the shooting in Area 24, Umgababa, on Thursday afternoon.

According to police, two women and a man affiliated with a political party, accompanied by two bodyguards, were campaigning door to door when a white Isuzu bakkie approached them from behind.

The occupants of the vehicle allegedly opened fire on the group using rifles and pistols. A man and a woman were declared dead at the scene, while another woman reportedly injured her leg as she fled the shooting.

The party said a third volunteer was critically injured when an unknown assailant opened fire on the group while they were engaging community members.

The shooting comes as KwaZulu-Natal continues to grapple with the killing of political representatives. IOL reported in August that 18 councillors had been assassinated in the province since the 2021 local government elections, including five in eThekwini.

In September, IOL also reported that three Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor candidates had been killed in separate incidents in the province.

The latest shooting has prompted the ANC to call for specialised law enforcement resources to be deployed to track down the killers, while the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has called for a dedicated Political Killings Task Team to investigate the incident.

The ANC has described the shooting as a “barbaric and cowardly attack” and said the volunteers had been carrying out democratic work when they were targeted.

The party condemned the killing of people participating in political activities, saying the attack was an assault on their constitutional rights.

“To ambush unarmed men and women who were merely exercising their constitutional rights is an act of pure wickedness,” the ANC said.

It described the shooting as a “ruthless, cold-blooded act” and said the targeting of women and unarmed community leadership demonstrated a complete absence of human decency.

“Violence and intimidation have no place in our political landscape, and the ANC will not be deterred or silenced by ruthless criminals,” the party said.