Ramaphosa concerned about political killings ahead of elections

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is concerned about the spate of politically related killings ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Ramaphosa made the remarks while addressing journalists on the sidelines of his election campaign in Cape Town on Sunday.

RAMAPHOSA WEIGHS IN ON POLITICAL KILLINGS

This week, two ANC members were shot dead and three others injured during a door-to-door campaign in Umgababa, south of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The killings come amid growing concerns about political violence ahead of the 4 November 2026 local government elections.

“Obviously, we are all disturbed about the political killings that are targeting people who are either campaigning, who are both representatives who should be elected, and also the mass killings. The police are on the heels of all those people who are perpetrating those murders.

“We cannot be a country that has the killings of people who other people may be opposed to. We want to bring those killings to an end,” he said.

AT LEAST 43 PEOPLE KILLED IN SUSPECTED ATTACKS

The killings come amid wider concerns about political violence ahead of the November 4 local government elections.

A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, published in October, recorded at least 43 people killed in suspected political assassinations across South Africa between January and September 2026.

The report recorded 45 suspected political attacks during that period, with the number of deaths already exceeding the organisation’s full-year totals for the 2021 local government election year and the 2024 national election year.