Pre-election violence escalates in KZN as police investigate ‘political’ murders

As the countdown to the 2026 Local Government Elections nears, dangerously tense campaigns trail as South Africa prepares for voters to cast their ballots, with blood already spilling in KwaZulu-Natal.

The South African Police Service (Saps) has launched urgent murder investigations after assailants killed an ActionSA councillor candidate and a member of the uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) Party in separate incidents across the province over the past two days.

Police Commissioner urges tolerance for elections

Detectives are working to establish the exact motives behind both killings as political tensions rise in the region.

Addressing the deadly incidents, KZN Saps Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi expressed deep regret over the persistent pattern of election-related violence.

“KZN is used to violence prior to elections and even post elections. Especially local government.

“It’s just unfortunate and no matter how much you can engage with political parties, they still don’t want to tolerate each other.

“We leave everything to the investigation to able to establish exactly what could be the cause. We don’t want to lose any of our leaders or any citizen over political party competition.

“We discourage those who feel that if for them to succeed they need to attack others.”

Saps says stay calm

Police teams continue to gather forensic evidence and follow up on investigative leads in both murder cases.

Mkhwanazi has called on all political leaders, candidate supporters, and community members to show restraint, respect democratic processes, and allow detectives to complete their investigations without further bloodshed.