Durban - The NFP is reeling after Thursday’s killing of yet another of its members, this time allegedly during an argument over an election poster with a member of a rival party in Newcastle.
The death of Anna Madonsela, 46, has brought to three the number of NFP members killed in the province this year.
She was also the third political activist killed in KwaZulu-Natal this week after two ANC candidate councillors, Bongani Skhosana and Khanyisile Ngobese-Sibisi, were shot in separate incidents in Harding and Ladysmith respectively.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane, said Madonsela was fatally stabbed when she tried to intervene in a dispute between neighbours in Bird Street, in the Paradise area.
“A 34-year-old suspect was arrested and he will be charged for murder.
“He will appear in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court soon,” Zwane said.
He said the incident was not politically-related.
However, NFP Amajuba district secretary, Lindiwe Msibi, said the suspect was a member of the ANC.
“There was an argument when the NFP members were putting up posters on the street poles. The guy was questioning why our members were putting up the posters because we were disqualified and insisting there was no point in doing so,” Msibi said.
She said Madonsela was stabbed in the neck.
“We are very disturbed by what has happened. We had signed the electoral code of conduct to conduct ourselves in a manner that does not impact on free and fair elections,” she said.
Msibi also said regardless of the troubles the NFP was facing, including disqualification, it had every right to put up posters.
ANC provincial spokesman, Bheki Ntuli, said they had heard about the incident, but could not confirm if their member was involved.
“We heard about this in the morning. When we checked with local leadership, nobody seemed to know about it,” Ntuli said.
He said although the branch leadership was denying its members were involved in the incident, the party would still look into the matter.
Daily News