Durban - Community Safety and Liaison MEC Mxolisi Kaunda has called for an end to speculation surrounding the murder of Khaya Thobela, 47, ANC deputy secretary in Harry Gwala Region, because it “creates instability”.
The murder of Thobela, who was also the Umzimkhulu council speaker was linked to his nomination by ANC branches to be elected secretary of the region during the conference in June.
“The MEC calls for people to allow the law to take its course and stop speculating because this creates instability among the community,” said Mluleki Mtungwa, Kaunda’s spokesperson .
A suspect was arrested on Sunday near Ladysmith while boarding a taxi to Gauteng. Nqobile Gwala, provincial police spokesperson, said he was not charged with the murder as police were still investigating.
Kaunda had accompanied Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, former African Union Commission chairperson, yesterday to pay respects to Thobela’s family.
Thobela died at Port Shepstone Provincial Hospital on Sunday after he was shot at his Mzimkhulu home last week.
Dlamini Zuma told the family that Thobela was similar to Struggle heroes Solomon Mahlangu and Chris Hani because they were all brutally killed in April.
She said April carried an unpleasant history for the ANC and the country.
“April is when the oppressors arrived in the country, and most of our Struggle heroes died in this month. Solomon Mahlangu was killed in this month at the age of 22 and when we started negotiations for the democratic dispensation, our hero Chris Hani was killed in this month during the Easter weekend,” she said.
She said Thobela’s murder had similarities with that of Hani because a suspect, Janusz Walus, was quick to be apprehended.
“Because God was great, a white woman witnessed the murder, and the rightwinger was apprehended. If there had been no arrest we would still be facing serious problems as the country,” she said.
She said as a show of respect to Thobela, ANC leaders would work tirelessly to unite the party. Division within the party had led to members killing each other. Thobela’s murder had been linked to a regional conference in which branches had nominated him to be the regional secretary.
“We will commemorate his life by uniting the ANC, which will continue to make people’s lives better as Thobela and others who have left us were working to better the lives of our people,” she said.
Dlamini Zuma promised Thobela’s four children, who are between the ages of 18 months and 18, that the ANC would take care of them because it was their father’s “political home”.
“As comrades we would not forget Thobela’s family since he was the hero who worked tirelessly for the community. As the ANC we are bidding farewell to our hero,” she said.
Thobela will be buried on Sunday.