Afrika Mayibuye’s Floyd Shivambu says they are struggling to field a candidate in Nongoma, within the Zululand district in KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, as people fear for their lives.
He says residents hesitate to associate with political parties due to escalating concerns over safety. The anxiety surrounding political affiliations stems from a series of killings that have plagued the area in the past.
"I think Nongoma, in my experience, has the highest number of political killings for one reason or another, whichever political party.”
The Inkandla Freedom Party (IFP) confirmed the recent assassination of a Nongoma councillor in Mtubatuba, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, emphasising the alarming reality of political killings in the region.
In 2016, the murder of a National Freedom Party (NFP) candidate forced party officials in KwaZulu-Natal to go into hiding, as they feared for their lives. A recent report from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) uncovered a disturbing spike in politically motivated violence nationally.
Political violence threatens democratic principles
Between January 1 and September 30, the report recorded 43 fatalities from 45 political attacks, surpassing the totals for the 2024 and 2025 national elections, which recorded 33 and 31 deaths, respectively. Two ANC councillors were also gunned down while conducting door-to-door campaign activities in Umgababa, KwaZulu-Natal.
President Cyril Ramaphosa voiced growing concern regarding the spate of violence and its consequences for governance and community welfare during an ANC campaign visit to Cape Town. He called for action against the "plague", which threatened to undermine the country’s democratic principles.
The Afrika Mayibuye movement said it was struggling to secure candidates in various regions, including areas like the Western Cape and the Namaqua district in Northern Cape.
"We have candidates in all the other municipalities. And they are hard at work to persuade as many voters as possible,” Shivambu said.