By Andrew Quinn
An African National Congress activist has been killed in KwaZulu-Natal, raising tension in the volatile province ahead of national elections in April, ANC officials said on Sunday.
ANC provincial security spokesperson Bheki Cele said 25-year-old Sifiso Msomi died of gunshot wounds on Saturday after being attacked by five men, two of whom Cele identified as activists of the rival Inkatha Freedom Party.
"At least three ANC people have been killed over the last several months, and dozens injured (in political attacks)," Cele said. "This is sending a very, very negative message."
| 'Once there is violence, it makes it very difficult to operate' |
The reported attack follows assurances by the government that it would tolerate no violence in the run-up to the April 14 election.
Political violence centred on KwaZulu-Natal killed 20 000 people before South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, raising fears of widespread civil conflict.
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Police could not immediately confirm the latest incident, which the ANC said occurred late on Friday near Magabheni south of Durban. An IFP spokesman said the party was investigating, but had no information on the attack.
Cele said the ANC had given police the names of the two IFP activists, but no arrests had been made yet. "The ANC is ready to go to the grassroots level with the IFP to preach the gospel of political tolerance," he said.
Relations between the Zulu-dominated IFP - which holds power in KwaZulu-Natal, its traditional power base - and the ruling ANC have soured over the past year, leading the IFP effectively to end its cooperation pact with the ruling party.
This has led to scattered clashes between the two parties' supporters in KwaZulu-Natal, where the IFP is fighting to keep power in the only province now under its control.
The ANC and the IFP have repeatedly pledged to ensure this year's elections are peaceful, though officials for both parties said fears were growing that violence could get out of hand.
"Violence is increasing, though it is not going to, we believe and hope, reach 1994 proportions. But there are worrying signs," Cele said.
ANC officials in KwaZulu-Natal say at least three ANC activists have died in political violence over the past few months. IFP spokesperson Blessed Gwala said a number of IFP supporters had also been attacked, though none had been killed.
"We believe that there is still a low-intensity kind of violence in the province," Gwala said. "Once there is violence, it makes it very difficult to operate."
Last week, defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota vowed to crush any attempts to disrupt the elections, saying special security details would be sent to potential "hotspots" in KwaZulu-Natal.
The ANC is widely tipped to score another resounding victory nationally, but the race for power in KwaZulu-Natal is close.
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