Port Elizabeth - The brother of slain African National Congress (ANC) councillor candidate Nceba Dywili, said on Wednesday that the family had many questions about the circumstances leading up to his death.
Thirty-five-year old Dywili was a councillor candidate for ward 4 (Walmer Township) in Nelson Mandela Bay. He was gunned down by two unknown suspects in Zwide on Tuesday night.
His death comes just a week before the local government elections. In the past eight months at least a dozen people have been killed in politically motivated murders across the country.
Police spokesperson Constable Mncedi Mbombo said that Dywili was dropping off a female friend at her home in Zwide when the incident occurred, adding that the motive for the killing was unknown at this stage.
“The man sustained bullet wounds to his upper and left hip, he died while seated in his car. The woman was shot in her buttocks,” said Mbombo.
Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder.
The ANC councillor candidate, who was also the President of Eastern Cape SMME’S chamber, is survived by his wife and three daughters.
It is understood that the woman who was accompanying Dwyili at the time is an ANC volunteer. She is currently in hospital receiving medical attention and police have asked that she remain anonymous for “safety reasons”.
On Wednesday, Dwyili’s brother 40-year-old Sonwabo spoke to reporters at his home in Walmer Township where ANC heavyweights, including Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize and Pravin Gordhan, visited the family to offer their condolences.
Flanked by dozens of ANC supporters, Deputy Mayor Bicks Ndoni also paid his respects and described the councillor candidate as a dedicated person who was nominated by his people.
An emotional Sonwabo said that the family felt a great sense of loss as his brother Nceba was a beacon of hope for the family.
“He was the one who was going to uplift our family name, so this is very bad for us as we were looking forward for him to be our breadwinner.”
“We are asking questions, why our family out of all the people, why ours? A lot of questions needs to be answered because nothing was taken from his car, so we are puzzled as to the reason because it does not look like a robbery,” he said.
Speaking to family members in IsiXhosa, the ANC Treasurer General encouraged relatives to be united during a sad and difficult time.
“What has happened is a disappointment, it’s a blow to the ANC more specifically for Nelson Mandela Bay now that we are gearing up for elections.”
Mkhize asked relatives to bear with the ANC as the party was unable to remove the posters on lamp-poles that showed his face.
“I know it’s very painful for the family to see it but we don’t have the powers to remove it, we can only remove it after the elections,” said Mkhize.
ANC Provincial Executive Committee member, Lindelwa Dunjwa expressed shock and sadness on Dwyili’s passing adding that the ANC would soldier on.
She expressed concern about a wave of political killings across the country.
“We are concerned with any killing in the country, in PE, in Walmer, but for now we don’t want to speculate. A life lost is a concern irrespective, but we are more worried because he was one of our dedicated, loved and committed members of the ANC.”
She said that the incident would not have a negative impact on the ANC’s election campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“We don’t think that it will have any negative impact, we all know the electoral act, we will still mourn him until after the elections and we are confident that the people of Walmer were behind him as a member, so there won’t be any negative impact in fact we are confident that we will win ward 4,” said Dunjwa.
Meanwhile, the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay appealed to the community to come forward with any information which could assist in the police investigation.
“People who get to know about plans hatched to kill our comrades and other members of society must report that information to the police so that police work is activated to stop these criminal elements,” said Provincial Secretary Oscar Mabuyane.
Police have not made any arrests yet.
African News Agency