Fears of deadly political violence rise as South Africa approaches local elections

South Africa is still months away from its local government elections, but a string of politically linked killings and attacks has raised fears that the battle for municipal power could turn deadlier as November approaches.

Research cited by Corruption Watch reveals that political assassinations have repeatedly climbed during local election years, with 27 cases recorded in 2016 and 30 in 2021. The organisation says the spikes were linked to fierce competition for local government positions and access to municipal finances.

It says political killings are driven by “factionalism, tenderpreneurship, and competition over public resources for personal advantage”.

Corruption Watch says political office has increasingly been viewed as “a lucrative economic opportunity rather than a call to serve the public”, with corrupt activities enabling public looting.

The organisation further states that accountability will be crucial as the country approaches the 2026 polls, warning that arrests alone will not be sufficient.

“Prosecution, conviction, and sentencing are meaningful, not just arrests or dismissals.”

The warning comes against a backdrop of politically connected people being killed in separate shootings during the June voter-registration weekend across three provinces. Among them were DA ward by-election candidate Sinovuyo Dyokwe, who was shot dead in Dunoon, Cape Town, and ANC Ward 27 councillor Sicelo Mleve, who was gunned down in his office in Zwide, Gqeberha.

Two uMkhonto weSizwe Party members, Mozwakhile Zungu and Siyabonga Mabaso, were also killed in Bekkersdal on Gauteng’s West Rand after leaving a voter-registration site. The Political Killings Task Team was brought in to assist with the investigations.

KwaZulu-Natal remains the country’s most notorious hotspot for political assassinations, but recent killings and attacks across Gauteng, the Western Cape, and Eastern Cape suggest the problem is not confined to one province or one political party.

Political analyst Sandile Swana, reflecting on the recent spate of politically linked killings, has warned that the 2026 local government elections have the potential to be the country’s deadliest, saying the violence is increasingly cutting across party lines.

“Political intimidation and killing this year have got a very good opportunity when we look at the pace at which they have started. That is actually affecting virtually every political party now. It’s not a question of the IFP, ANC, stuff like that. The EFF people are dying, the DA people, the BOSA people, people are just getting killed.

“So this election of 2026, the local government election in South Africa, has got the highest potential, in my judgment, to be the one where the most people will be killed. Secondly, where the most diverse range of people will be killed.”

“It is not political competition in the strictest ideological contestation.