The new report has called on the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) to be supported and funded, as political assassinations have transcended historical hotspots, migrating into provinces that have traditionally experienced low levels of political violence.
This is according to the new report from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), which revealed that this trend is now claiming lives in provinces once considered safe, including the Western Cape, North West, and Limpopo, suggesting that no region is immune to the deadly intersections of politics and power ahead of the local government elections on November 4.
The report stated that political assassinations increased ahead of the elections, with 43 people killed in 45 political attacks that happened between January 1 and September 30, 2026.
The figure, according to GI-TOC, is already higher than the full-year political totals for the 2021 municipal election year, which recorded 30 politically motivated killings.
The number also surpassed totals for the 2024 national elections (33) and 2025 (31).
This current surge even surpasses the highest annual benchmarks recorded in the tracking series since 2015, which were 42 in 2019 and 40 in 2022.
The report, titled Ballots and Bullets (Targeted killings and South Africa’s 2026 local government elections), stated that while post-incident arrests are necessary, they are fundamentally insufficient, adding that the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) should retain its authority, funding, and political backing through the election period and beyond.
The report also added that the team should be protected from interference.
Formed in 2018 under a directive from President Cyril Ramaphosa following the recommendations of the Moerane Commission, the PKTT combined forces from SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and intelligence agencies. Despite being heavily burdened with hundreds of complex cases, it became highly regarded for securing some of the best detection and conviction rates within SAPS.
However, in December 2024, then-Police Minister Senzo Mchunu issued a controversial directive to immediately dissolve the PKTT, arguing that the task team had fulfilled its temporary purpose, ran up high operational costs (totalling R435 million since its inception), and that resources needed to be reallocated to tackle broader gang and murder crises nationwide.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi openly rebelled against the decision, labelling it irregular and potentially politically motivated.
Mkhwanazi and other critics claimed the sudden halt of 121 active dockets was an act of political interference designed to protect highly connected politicians and criminal networks from prosecution.
This led to the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and the Parliament Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the suspected political contamination and corruption behind the shutdown.
Asked what specific legislative or institutional frameworks are being put in place to ensure that the PKTT retains its full investigative authority during and after the upcoming elections, Police Ministerial spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi said Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia was in a special Cabinet meeting.
SAPS spokesperson Lt-Col Amanda van Wyk also did not respond.
Gi-TOC stated that of the number of political attacks recorded, 41 people were killed in 36 attacks directed at political party officials, ward councillors, members of civic organisations, movements, and traditional leadership, including Sinovuyo Dykwe, a DA candidate, whose killing the database records as organised crime.
The report added that the June 2026 voter registration weekend was the year’s deadliest for political hits, with 40 incidents recorded across all assassination categories, including 12 political cases.
The situation reached its bloodiest climax over the June 20-21 registration weekend, during which six political figures were killed in four provinces - Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal.
This includes Dyokwe, Leon Ngcikwe (BOSA ward candidate in Gugulethu - Western Cape), MK Party members Mozwakhile Zungu and Siyabonga Mabaso (Bekkersdal - Gauteng), Vukani Majozi (branch executive member in KwaZulu-Natal), and Sicelo Mleve (ANC ward councillor in the Eastern Cape).
GI-TOC also added that this crisis highlights how the government ignored recommendations by the Moerane Commission.
The commission recommended that political parties take responsibility for the violent competition between their members for political positions and power, discipline members whose conduct encourages violence, and report members implicated in killings to the law enforcement authorities.
The government was also told to depoliticise and professionalise the public service, end the deployment of unqualified political appointees, vigorously investigate and prosecute tender corruption, and depoliticise the criminal justice system.
The report stated that little of that has happened.
Political analyst Professor Theo Neethling said KwaZulu-Natal remains the country’s primary hotspot for pre-election political violence, adding that this systemic instability stems from a history of intense rivalry between major parties like the ANC and IFP, alongside fierce internal party friction over candidate selections.
He said a significant portion of this violence is driven by established local patronage networks, which are deeply connected to illegal activities in areas such as the taxi industry and construction, where criminal factions heighten conflicts and encourage violent approaches to retain authority.
“The internal strife among parties regarding candidate selections exacerbates the situation, turning KZN into a centre for political unrest. If urgent measures to dismantle these patronage systems, strengthen law enforcement, and foster political tolerance and economic inclusion are not taken, the province will likely persist in enduring violent political conflicts that jeopardize both democratic processes and the safety of participants,” Neethling said.